The Channel

It’s that time of year to remind staff of the procedures for office closures due to inclement weather. The FAQs document provides a lot of information and specific examples for your reference. Please review the guidelines, and contact your supervisor if you have any questions.

In summary:

If all school(s) that an employee serves are closed, certified support staff are no longer limited to two (2) remote workdays per year due to winter weather. Beginning 2025-26, eligible staff may work remotely any time all of their assigned schools are closed due to inclement winter weather.

• No supervisor approval is required for remote work on qualifying days.
• While these days do not automatically count as the potential “virtual service” day that week, staff should ensure they are able to meet all the needed and expected face-to-face services in their districts prior to choosing to be virtual on another day.
• If any assigned school remains open, the employee is expected to report to that location. Staff calendars are generally expected to align with their district calendars to ensure adequate support, and there may be times when it is necessary to adjust their contract days in lieu of working virtually. Staff should use their professional judgment in making these decisions.

Guidelines for other staff (non-certified):

• Instructional employees (teachers, educational assistants) at River Hills, Detention Centers, and Shelter Programs should follow the schedule of their assigned resident district for late starts or early dismissals.
• Non-instructional employees who work less than 260 days should report to the nearest AEA office to finish their day if their assigned school closes early. If road conditions prevent this, they have options like using personal leave, making up the time, or working remotely if they have privileges.
• Full-year employees who work 260 days are required to work remotely if the office is closed or closes early, provided they have been approved for remote work. Hourly staff must clock in and out themselves.

All staff:

• If severe weather causes a delay, you may arrive up to one hour late without using leave time or making up the hours.
• Please inform your supervisor as soon as you know you’ll be late, so they know you’re safe and can adjust your schedule if needed.

For more details, see “A” under the General FAQs section.

Winter weather notifications

With winter weather almost here, be sure you are signed up to receive Central Rivers AEA weather alerts* via text, call or email regarding closings or professional learning cancellations. *If you are already signed up, you do not have to do anything.

Staff members that need to register can contact Phil Hendricks, for assistance with signing up.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Special Education Updates

Professional Development requests

Central Rivers AEA encourages staff to take part in professional learning opportunities that support growth and enhance our work with students, families and districts. Staff requesting to participate in internal or external professional development should follow the directions linked below:

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel and important mid-month information)
• Ed Services/Media Updates

Good news! Zoom’s SMS texting feature is now fully active and ready to use. Please refer to the CRAEA Zoom Phone Tutorial and FAQ for the step-by-step directions.

MacBook Air now an option in our device rotation

You asked, we listened. To keep your devices working well, Central Rivers AEA is starting a regular replacement cycle. This helps keep technology up to date, controls costs and—best of all—gives you a choice. When it’s time for a refresh, you can pick either a Windows PC or a MacBook Air.
We’re excited to offer both PC and Mac so you can work on the platform that fits you best. Wondering when you are up for rotation? Check out this resource from IT. The Help Desk will be reaching out to the appropriate staff towards the end of October for this year’s rotation.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a helpful tool that makes tasks more efficient and improves our daily lives. Unfortunately, cyber criminals have started using AI to make their social engineering attacks more believable and effective. They are taking advantage of generative AI to scam people with phishing emails, spoofed voice calls, and fraudulent videos of real people. In this video, employees will learn about how cyber criminals use generative AI in their attacks and the warning signs that can help them identify deepfake images, videos and voice calls. (Article by The Security Awareness Company)

A video titled “Generative AI: Seeing Through the Deception” is available for viewing in the CRAEA Security Training folder through Classlink.

When you receive any suspicious communications: Stop and think before you click! Reach out to the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org if you have questions.

Join our October INspired Leadership workshop in Cedar Falls

If you have yet to experience a two-day INspired Leadership Workshop or haven’t attended in the past three years, you might wish to sign up online for our two-day workshop in Cedar Falls on October 16 & 21 from 9:00 am–3:00 pm each day.  Registration closes at noon on Tuesday, October 14. The goal of the workshop is to enhance your well-being, life satisfaction and assist you in meeting your personal and professional goals. Reach out to inspired@centralriversaea.org with any questions you may have.

Personalized coaching is available for you

Want more of what works for you and less of what doesn’t? Central Rivers AEA offers free 1:1 coaching sessions with certified well-being coach Dr. Leslie Moore on Zoom. Sessions are available weekdays from 7:30 am–4:30 pm and can be booked up to 60 days in advance with just two days’ notice. Schedule your session online!

The agency is partnering with the Hy-Vee Pharmacy to offer flu shot clinics for employees and their families. The vaccination schedule is as follows:

Friday, October 24

• Cedar Falls office (Central Perk): 1521 Technology Parkway – 7:30-9:30 am
• Clear Lake office (Room C): 9184 265th Street, Suite B – 8:00-10:00 am
• Marshalltown office (Room F): 909 South 12th Street – 7:30-9:30 am

Friday, October 10

• River Hills School (large conference room): 2700 Grand Blvd, Cedar Falls – 8:00-10:00 am

Please complete the 2025 flu shot registration form if you wish to participate. During the morning of the clinic, remember to bring:

• A copy of your driver’s license.
• A copy of your insurance card (front/back).
• A completed flu shot consent form.
  • Cedar Falls office location only: In lieu of printing off the consent form, Cedar Falls Hy-Vee is providing the option to complete an online consent form. After you sign up for your flu shot, the link for this form will be sent to you approximately two weeks prior to the event.

Flu shots may be covered at no cost to employees and their family members with proof of insurance. Please contact Kevin Klobassa (319-273-8202) with any questions.

Our office buildings, grounds and River Hills School are always looking spotless, thanks to our custodial/maintenance team! While they may be more behind-the-scenes, their hard work does not go unnoticed!

Cedar Falls office:

• Kevin McKenzie, Supervisor of Buildings/Maintenance
• Shyla English, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Derrek Grapp, Custodian

Clear Lake office:

• Skyler Wood, Lead Custodian/Maintenance

Marshalltown office:

• Micheal Ballhagen, Lead Custodian/Maintenance

River Hills School:

• Jessica Devries, Lead Custodian/Maintenance
• Todd Thompson, Custodian
• Cory Teepe, Custodian

Central Rivers AEA is excited to announce a new partnership with North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). Beginning this fall, NIACC will utilize two rooms in our Clear Lake office to support the expansion of its aviation program. The location offers students close access to the Mason City Airport while also making effective use of space in the building that has been underutilized.

This one-year agreement not only supports higher education opportunities in our region but also brings additional revenue to the agency. It’s a great example of how we can creatively repurpose resources to benefit students and strengthen our connections with educational partners.

Stan Rheingans, who has served as interim chief administrator for Central Rivers AEA since July 1, 2024, has announced his plans to retire effective June 30, 2026. During his tenure—through a shared services arrangement with Keystone AEA—Stan has provided unwavering leadership as our agency navigated the early implementation of HF 2612, one of the most complex chapters in our history.

“Stan’s steady hand and clarity of purpose helped our agency focus on what matters most for students and educators, even amid significant change,” said Dr. Deb Rich, president of the CRAEA Board of Directors. “We are grateful for his service and our partnership with the Keystone AEA Board.”

The CRAEA Board of Directors will begin the process of seeking a new chief administrator to start July 1, 2026. Details regarding timeline and opportunities for staff input will be released in the near future. An announcement will go out to superintendents on Monday.

On behalf of the Board and our leadership team, thank you, Stan, for guiding Central Rivers AEA through a pivotal period. We wish you all the best!

As a reminder, beginning July 1, 2025, van delivery became a purchased service for school districts as part of the implementation of HF 2612. While some districts have opted to continue this service, others have not. (Please refer to the August edition of The Channel for more information of this document which details which districts have purchased van mail delivery.)

Regardless of whether a district has purchased van delivery, AEA staff members will still receive delivery of necessary professional items such as adaptive equipment, test kits, Creative Services orders and interoffice mail. These will be delivered to the office location within the school building you have designated. Please confirm this location with our delivery team by emailing delivery@centralriversaea.org when requesting pick-up or delivery.  

To ensure we are managing limited delivery resources responsibly, van delivery is reserved strictly for professional purposes. This means only work-related items such as those listed above should be requested for delivery. Personal items – including birthday cards, gifts or other non-work-related packages – should not be sent via van delivery. Routes are jam packed given our partnership with public libraries so drivers appreciate your consideration in requesting additional stops.

We would like to welcome incoming staff for the 2025-26 school year!

Pending October Board approval, all certified staff will receive $120 cell phone reimbursement for the 2025-26 school year. This payment will be made the first payroll after final Board approval.

For CWA/Nuss staff, the request form will be emailed to you after final Board approval of the Cell Phone Reimbursement policy. The completed request form will require a quick turn-a-round. This payment will be made the first payroll after final Board approval. Reach out to the HR/Business Office with questions.

Please be sure that you are signed* up to receive Central Rivers AEA Alerts via text, call or email. Alerts are used to announce agency-related emergency updates, building closings or professional learning cancellations.

*If you are already signed up, you do not have to do anything.

Sign up today at https://myalerts.centralriversaea.org/. If you have questions, please reach out to Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services.

All Central Rivers AEA staff are invited to take advantage of the well-being options that the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors voted to support again this year:

• Meet one-on-one with Certified Professional Coach, Dr. Leslie Moore, over Zoom.
  • Sessions can be scheduled online with at least two days’ notice, up to 60 days in advance and are available between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm (save your spot online).
• INspired Leadership two-day workshops will be offered (dates to be announced).

All options are offered to enhance your well-being, life satisfaction and assist you in meeting your personal and professional goals. Reach out to inspired@centralriversaea.org with any questions!