2025-2026 Annual School Update and Registration Information

Late Starts or Early Dismissals Due to Weather

During periods of poor weather, we encourage parents to listen to the following stations for school announcements regarding changes to the schedule: KCRG-TV9, KWWL-TV7, and KGAN-TV. Changes to the schedule are also posted to social media channels and text alerts are sent out to all our subscribers.

District Alerts and Press Releases

Once you have completed the school registration process, you will automatically be enrolled in our school messenger system that is used to issue press releases and emergency announcements. We have the technical capability to issue these releases as either text, email, voice, or all of the above. You do not need to do anything further, except ensure your contact information remains current on the school registration portal (JMC). At the same time, if you have other contacts that are interested in school wide notifications and announcements, please encourage them to complete this form.

Communication is a very important skill that helps your child in learning and progressing in school. Screening of communication skills for a student at any grade level is conducted  by a speech language pathologist (SLP) upon the request of parents, teachers or other professionals. Parental consent must be provided prior to screening.

You may request a screening of your child’s communication skills by contacting the SLP at school. Following the assessment, you will be notified of the results. If you have any questions, please contact the school. 

Physicals
Every year students in grades 7-12 shall present to the superintendent a certificate signed by a licensed physical and surgeon, osteopathic physician and surgeon, osteopath, advanced nurse practitioner (ARNP), physician’s assistant or qualified doctor of chiropractic, to the effect that the student has been examined and may safely engage in athletic competition. This certificate of physical examination is valid for the purpose of this rule for one (1) calendar year. A grace period, not to exceed thirty (30) days is allowed for expired certifications of physical examination. Register your student athlete and upload your physical on our ‘Bound’ site. 

Concussion
Annually, each school district and nonpublic school shall provide to the parent or guardian of each student a concussion and brain information sheet, as provided by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. The student and student’s parent or guardian shall sign and return the concussion and brain injury sheet to the student’s school prior to the students participation in any interscholastic activity for grades 7-112 before the student can participate in interscholastic athletics or cheerleader. You can complete the concussion requirements on our ‘Bound’ site. 

Administration of Medication
All medication, including cough drops, that needs to be taken by students during the school day must be given to the school nurse or the office secretaries to be distributed and recorded by them. The medication must be in the original container for all prescriptions and over the counter medications. The following information must accompany the medication either on the prescription bottle, in the instruction sheet, or in the parental authorization: name of the student; name of the medication; directions for use including dosage, times, and duration; name, phone number and address of the pharmacy (if applicable); date of prescription (if applicable); name of the physician (if applicable); potential side effects; and emergency numbers of the parents.

Board Policy 507.2 governs the administration of medication to students. By law, students with asthma, airway constriction diseases, respiratory distress or students at risk of anaphylaxis who use epinephrine auto-injectors may self administer their medication upon the written approval of the student’s parents and prescribing licensed health care professionals regardless of competency. (See 507.2E1 Authorization of Asthma or Airway Constricting Self Administration; 507.2E2 Parental Authorization and Release Form for the Administration of Prescription Medication to Students; 507.2E3 Parent Authorization for Independent Self Carry Medication. The district also maintains a supply of over the counter medication that can be administered to students with parent authorization. To see which medications the district stocks and to provide consent for administration, see 507.2E4.

Board Policy 804.5 authorizes the district to stock and administer prescription medication to students where parents have authorized such administration. Additionally, the district stocks lifesaving prescription medications including epinephrine and an opioid antagonist. (See 804.5E1 Parental Authorization and Release Form for the Administration of a Voluntary School Supply of Stock Medication for Life ThreateningIncidents).

Regarding Health Forms
There are certain immunizations and health records that are required as part of the school registration process. This brochure outlines the immunizations that are required for students as well as the types of exemptions that are available. Students who are not immunized or have exemptions on file with the district are not permitted to attend school. For more information regarding what is required, along with authorizations for administration of certain medications and exemptions, please visit the Required Immunizations, Medical Forms page of our website.

School Health Guidelines
Please help us prevent the spread of illness in our schools by following our health guidelines. General guidelines for when to keep your child home from school can be found on the School Heath Guidelines page of our website.

All children have a right to a free, appropriate education. The McKinney-Vento Homesless Assistance Act (PL107-110) effective July 1, 2002 requires that homeless children: 

• Be enrolled immediately in school, even if lacking documentation normally required for enrollment such as immunization or other health records, previous academic records, birth certificates, proof of residence, or proof of guardianship.
• Have a choice in where to enroll: their school of origin or the local school for their current resident. 
• Have access to services comparable to those that house students receiving Title I, Part A services.

For more information, please contact Michelle McPoland at 319.988.3233.

Hudson’s Driver Education is contracted through StreetSmarts, an Iowa Youth Driver Education program. The student's driving schedule will be set up at the first class. Students will be driving outside of the school day and outside of the driver education class time. Driving times will occur at various times to accommodate the needs of the students. All of the scheduled classes are state certified and include 30 hours of classroom
instruction, with 4 hours of instruction covering alcohol and drug abuse as it relates to the driving task and 6 hours of actual on-street driving. The cost is $400 and is paid directly to StreetSmarts. Sign-up on their website for classes at Hudson. If you have questions, StreetSmarts can be reached at (515) 279-1122.

Parents/Guardians in the Hudson Community School District have the right to learn about the following regarding their child’s teacher qualifications: Licensure status, special endorsements for grade levels and subjects taught, and baccalaureate and graduate certification and degree. You may access this information by searching for the practitioner’s license at the Board of Educational Examiners website.

Notification to Parents Concerning Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals
Parents will be notified by the school if their child has been assigned, or will be taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

The Hudson School Board has established policy for community use of facilities such as the gymnasiums, auditoriums, and kitchen. In most cases, rent is charged for the use of our facilities. Our equipment and fee schedule can be viewed by clicking on the link. Be advised that even in instances where the rent may be waived, cost of cleaining will be passed along to the rentor. Please contact the activity office at 319.988.3233 x7180 if you would like to rent our facilities. 

School policy does prohibit the use of school facilties on Wednesday evening after 6:30 p.m. and all day on Sunday unless authorized by the superintendent.

Hudson Schools is proud to be the school destination of choice for numerous families in the Cedar Valley. The following procedures are outlined in Iowa Code 282.18 and 281—IAC Ch. 17.

Parent / Guardian Responsibilities:

File application form with resident and receiving district.

• Be sure to indicate whether or not the student is in a special education program. You may request an attendance center with the understanding the district does not have to honor the request.
• [Parents/Guardians] Provide for transportation of students.
• If meeting economic eligibility requirements, apply with the resident district for transportation assistance. If the family qualifies, transportation assistance may be actual transportation or a reimbursement paid directly to the parent/guardian.
• If terminating the open enrollment, notify both districts involved.
• If the student moves from the district in which s/he currently lives during the term of the open enrollment, it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to notify the former resident district and the new resident district.
• Each child in a family must have an open enrollment request filed for him/her.
• A pupil, who transfers school districts under open enrollment in all grades 9 through 12, shall not be eligible to participate in varsity contests and competitions during the first 90 school days of transfer.
• For questions on eligibility please contact the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union or the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
• For more information on Open Enrollment, please refer to the Iowa Department of Education website page on open enrollment.
   

March 1 is the last day a parent/guardian may apply to open enroll a student in grades 1-12 for the upcoming school year.

September 1 is the last day a parent/guardian may apply to open enroll their incoming kindergarten student. 

Receiving districts retain the ability to either accept or deny applications for open enrollment into the receiving district due to other mitigating factors. Because of substantial enrollment gains in the Hudson Community School District, we continue to monitor section sizes and proceed cautiously. This has led to the implementation of waiting list(s) for many grade levels. Simply stated, in some grade levels, open enrollment applications may be denied due to 'insufficient classroom space'. In other words, that grade level has been deemed 'full' by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of the superintendent. As registration begins to firm up and students move in and out of the district, it enables us to approve open enrollment applications up to the start of the school year. Our ability to maintain class sizes in the low 20s is an overarching goal of enrollment policy. Open enrollment approval prioritizes those students and families who already have a connection to the Hudson Community School District, maintaining the cohesiveness of the family unit, and the date on which the application for open enrollment was submitted.

State law and Board Policy 503.5 forbid employees from using corporal punishment against any student. Certain action by school employees are not considered corporal punishment. Additionally, school employees may use ‘reasonable and necessary force, not designed or intended to cause pain’ to do certain things that are outlined in Policy such as quelling a disturbance or preventing harm to persons or property. 

State law also places limits on school employees’ ability to restrain or confine and detain any student. The law limits why, how, where, and for how long a school employee may restrain or confine and detain a child. If the child is restrained or detained, the school must maintain documentation and provide certain types of notice to the child’s parent. 

If you have any questions about this state law or board policy, please contact an administrator. The complete text of the law and additional information can be found and is available on the Iowa Department of Education website. 

To be eligible for Federal procurement contract and Federal grants, an employer must certify that it will provide a drug-free workplace by:

• Publication and dissemination of each covered employee of a statement that abuse (manufacture, distribution, possession or use) of a controlled substance in the workplace is prohibited.
• Establishment of a drug-free awareness program to educate employees about the dangers of drug abuse and make them aware of available drug counseling programs, as well as the drug-free workplace policy and the penalties that may be imposed for violations of the policy.
• Notice to each covered employee that as a condition of employment, the employee must abide by the policy and must notify the employer within five days of any conviction involving a controlled substance in the workplace.
• Imposition of sanctions and the requirement to receive rehabilitation for any employee convicted (found guilty in a court of law) involving a controlled substance in the workplace. There is no requirement that the rehabilitation be at employer expense. The employer must notify the Federal agency within ten days after receiving notice that the employee has been convicted of a crime involving a controlled substance in the workplace, or within ten days after otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction. The statute covers only controlled substances and crimes involving such substances that occur in the workplace. The Act does not address employee convictions for crimes away from the workplace, even if that crime involves controlled substances. The rules do not apply to alcohol related convictions.

The Act requires an employer to make a good faith effort to maintain a drug-free workplace. Determination as to whether the Act has been violated will be made on a case-by case basis.

This Act allows high school students to take college courses during the school day with the school district paying up to $250 per class. There are criteria that must be met before you are eligible. If interested, please see the guidance counselor. 

The asbestos and radon program coordinator for the Hudson Community School District is Bryant Budensiek. He can be reached by calling 319.988.3233 x7223.

Asbestos
An AHERA three year asbestos re-inspection was completed on May 12, 2025. The next three year inspection will be due in April of 2028. Asbestos surveillance inspections are made every six months between re-inspections. Only small scale response actions will be conducted if needed. All asbestos was removed from the 1915 building in December of 2001 with demolition of the building in June 2002. In the interim, asbestos was removed from underground tunnels and floor tiling was removed as floor replacement as part of remodeling, the most recent occurring over the summer of 2025.

Radon
Board Policy 804.7R1 Radon Mitigation requires each attendance center to undergo a short term test for the presence of radon gas at least once by July 1, 2027 and then every five years thereafter. The testing regimen includes individualized tests for each instructional space in buildings where instruction takes place. Both the P-8 and high school attendance centers were tested for radon gas in February of 2023. In both instances, the testing results came back well below the EPA action level of 4.0pCi/L and even below the WHO action level of 2.7 pCi/L. Full copies of these reports can be found on the About Us page of our school website. We will next test for radon during the winter of 2028. 

The Hudson Community School District offers career and technical programs in the following areas of study:

Family and Consumer Science
Business
Agriculture
Industrial Technology

It is the policy of the Hudson Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact:

If you have a question or complaint related to this policy, or for information about the district’s greivance procedures, please contact Jeff Bell, Equity Coordinator, 136 S. Washington Street, 319.988.3233, jeffbell@hudschools.org or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 310, Denver, CO, 80204-3585. Telephone 303-844-5695 FAX 313-877-8339, Email: OCR.Denver@ed.gov

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Hudson Community School is partnering with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to provide the BackPack Program to students during the school year.  The program begins in September and will continue throughout the school year.

The BackPack Program is a free program that provides kid-friendly, non-perishable food for students most in need to eat over weekends and breaks when school meals are not available and there may be little or no food to eat.  Please carefully consider your family’s economic status and determine if this program is something needed by your child(ren).  If the BackPack Program is something your family depends upon, please complete the attached registration form.  If you are able to make do without this assistance, please allow this program to be used by others. 

Items distributed in the BackPacks include cereal, peanut butter, juice, fruit cups, pop-top meals, soup, and granola bars.  The food will be distributed to your child at the end of the school day on Friday.  Please explain to your child that the food must not be eaten or opened until they are home.  If this happens, your child may lose the privilege of participating in the program.

Parents and guardians concerned with food allergies need to be aware that BackPack Program items may include ingredients such as nuts, soy, wheat, eggs and milk. The Northeast Iowa Food Bank and Hudson Community Schools will not assume any liability for adverse reactions to food consumed.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank strives to include healthy and safe food. All food is labeled and sealed by the manufacturer.  While some products might be past the marked best-by date, we have worked with the manufacturer to ensure they are still safe to consume. If you open an item and notice a problem, please contact the Northeast Iowa Food Bank immediately. 

Sincerely,

Daniel Hofer

• Partner Capacity Manager
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank
• 319-235-0507 ext. 127

Jacki Simms

• NHS Advisor, HS Special Education Teacher
• Hudson Community School
• 319-988-3233

Registration Form

The BackPack Program is a program of the 

Northeast Iowa Food Bank
1605 Lafayette Street 
P.O. Box 2397 
Waterloo, IA 50704 

(319) 235-0507