Mason City School District creates Facebook page to spread “positive” message

MASON CITY – Some say things have been less than rosy for the Mason City School District in recent months.

A slew of black eyes for the district has left the agency battered and bruised. A $36+ million debt, a head football coach who left on the cusp of a new season with some not so favorable parting words, public spectacles of fired coaches, teachers and an athletic director with tearful students speaking out, program cuts, an embattled superintendent, petitions from angry citizens, a public lashing at the hands of a former basketball star, and a newspaper that covers for its every move has left the public weary and skeptical of the Mason City School District and its leaders.

In an apparent attempt to rebuild its image – and perhaps to control the flow of information – the Mason City School District has launched a Facebook page of its own. A school district employee told NIT that the page will be used to talk about positive developments and activities in the district.

“We plan to use this site as another way to keep the community informed about the positive things going on in the district and will be using it to post emergency announcements,” NIT was informed.

The page can be viewed and followed here.

One of the posts left by the district on its new Facebook page took the high road in sending off former head football coach Justin Penner, who, according to sources, took some serious shots at the district and Mason City in general, as he resigned and headed for Dubuque.

“Congratulations go out to Coach Penner and his family as they move on to a new home and school district,” was the message left by the district on its page.

In the aftermath of Penner’s resignation, five remaining football coaches held an impromptu meeting with parents and players Thursday morning at Mohawk Stadium.  The coaches promised to be there for the players as long as they are “not fired”.   The coaches urged the players to use Penner’s resignation as motivation for the upcoming season and to “come together as a family”.  The coaches also said that an apparent culture of bullying within the program has to end immediately so that other kids will “want to come out” for football.  It has been said that older kids on the football team have, for years and years, picked on and belittled the younger boys in the program.  “If you were picked on, don’t be that guy now that you are older,” one coach said at the meeting.  The Mohawks open their season in August at home against Clear Lake.  The coaches said that leading up to the start of practice – just a few weeks away –  the weight rooms would be open day and night, and players were urged to work hard and prepare for the season and wait for an announcement of a new head coach.

Also on its Facebook page, the district talked about and posted pictures of remodeling of school entrances to make them safer for students.

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