Board hears emotional pleas to preserve Walnut Creek’s stand

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —

Parents, students and teachers urged the West Des Moines School Board to keep Walnut Creek, the district’s alternative high school, open, arguing a proposed move to Valley High School would harm vulnerable students.

“Closing the school would not redirect us; it would break something it took years to build,” one speaker said to applause during Monday night's board meeting.

Walnut Creek senior Cali Streasick said the campus offers safety and belonging for students who struggled elsewhere.

“Sending kids back to a place they don’t feel welcome. I feel like more kids are going to stop going to school,” she said.

District executive director of secondary education Steven Schappaugh said no decision was made, and the workshop aimed “to inform the board about a recommen