The Red Oak Community School District is working to support students, staff, and families following the recent loss of a student, described by district leaders as a deeply impactful tragedy.
Superintendent Ron Lorenz confirmed the passing of Rylan Mirts, a student remembered as a kind and well-liked young man whose loss has been felt across the entire school community.
In the days following the tragedy, district officials have focused on providing emotional support while maintaining stability for students. Lorenz emphasized that multiple decisions were made throughout the week with guidance from mental health professionals experienced in crisis response.
One of the most discussed decisions was whether to cancel school on the day of the student’s funeral. Lorenz explained that experts strongly recommended keeping schools open to provide structure and routine, which can be critical for students processing grief.
At the same time, the district is allowing flexibility. Any student or staff member who wishes to attend the funeral may do so without penalty, and absences will be excused.
To further support students, the district has canceled homework and assessments and received permission from the Iowa Department of Education to postpone upcoming state testing.
School leaders have also made staffing adjustments to ensure that teachers and staff can attend services if they choose, while still maintaining supervision for students who remain in school.
Lorenz noted that while some community members called for school to be canceled, others expressed appreciation for keeping schools open, citing the importance of normalcy and being around peers during a difficult time.
He also pointed out practical considerations, including the needs of families who rely on school for childcare, meals, and income for hourly employees.
Throughout the process, Lorenz stressed that decisions were made carefully and based on expert advice, with the goal of serving the wide range of needs within the community.
The district continues to encourage the community to keep the student’s family, classmates, and staff in their thoughts during what has been described as an incredibly difficult time.
KCSI spoke with Superintendent Lorenz following the ROCSD Board of Directors Meeting on 3-25-26, below is the complete transcript from that interview:
Aaron:
A tragic event occurred in the Red Oak Community School District last week, there’s been a lot of discussion in the community, quite frankly. There was a public comment in the meeting about, uh, why not just dismiss school so that people can attend? It was implored to the board to do the right thing. You addressed that, Mr. Lorenz. I want you to talk to me and explain to me the decision process-
Mr. Lorenz:
Right
Aaron:
… and, and where the school’s at.
Mr. Lorenz:
Well, as you said, we did, we experienced a terrible tragedy. We, we lost a student, a young man named Rylan Mirts, who by all accounts was just a wonderful young man, um, loved by all. Certainly his passing is, is deeply felt, uh, not just among our, our students, but our teachers, our support staff, our entire school community. Um, he definitely had a meaningful impact on, on students, staff, and families. So the thing that I, I tried to express this evening is despite what some people are trying to suggest, the decision, the decisions that we’ve made, and I say that because I think a lot of people are focusing on whether or not we’re having school on Friday. There have been a number of decisions, and a number of actions, and a number of things that have been done all week long-
Mr. Lorenz:
… to try to support students and staff in the grief process, and none of those, none of those things have been taken lightly. Um, specifically that decision regarding school, that was not a decision that was an easy one, uh, and it was made after very extensive discussion. And when I say the decision was made, we relied upon expert guidance. And when I say expert, I’m talking about psychologists, therapists, mental health providers that do this for a living, and that have dealt with these types of situations across our region and across our state.
Mr. Lorenz:
One of the things that they told us, and they were emphatic about this, best practice in schools when you have a crisis, when you respond to a crisis, is to maintain structure and routine. You keep students in a safe, supportive environment. You keep them in school. At the same time, we have to be flexible, because everybody grieves differently. Everybody experiences this differently. That’s why we’re saying we are having school. We are going to be here for those students who need order, who need structure, who need routine. We’re gonna be here for them. At the same time, any student that wants to go to that funeral, they’re excused. No judgment, no repercussions, nothing.
Mr. Lorenz:
We are not having any type of assessments. We’re having no homework. We’ve actually gotten permission from the Iowa Department of Education to postpone ISASP testing next week. So that’s not something you just do. That requires permission. We’ve been working on this for days.
Mr. Lorenz:
So again, we’re having school, but we’re not telling anybody they can’t go to the funeral, and we actually-
Aaron:
Students and teachers.
Mr. Lorenz:
Students and teachers. So we’ve got things set up right now where I don’t know that we have any teachers that aren’t going to be able to attend that funeral. Now, a lot of them know the situation, so what they’ve said is, “Can I just run to the funeral and come back?” Absolutely. I don’t expect you to take any leave, just go. If you need me to cover your class, I’ll be there. Mr. Perrien, he and I are gonna stay back from the funeral so we can cover classes. We’re moving a secretary from the preschool so that the secretaries at the high school can attend the funeral. The point that I’m trying to make is nobody is going to be denied the opportunity to go to this funeral, but at the same time, we have to be mindful of those kids that need to be here, that need structure.
Mr. Lorenz:
And, and I wanna, I wanna say this. There, there’s been kind of this hue and cry by some people about why aren’t they canceling school. I want people to know that there have been just as many people who have quietly said, “Thank you. I want to be in school. I want to have some normalcy. I just, I can’t deal with this anymore.”
Mr. Lorenz:
“I can’t sit and, and be alone with my thoughts. I want to be with my friends. I want to be doing my routine.” We’ve had parents who have reached out and said, “Thank you.” Now, I’m not saying that to invalidate the other perspective. I’m just saying we’re trying to serve a lot of interests and a lot of needs.
Mr. Lorenz:
Uh, not least of which are those elementary parents that if we cancel school, they’re scrambling for daycare. We have students that if we cancel school, they don’t eat. We have hourly staff that if we cancel school, they don’t get paid. We have to keep all of those folks in mind.
Mr. Lorenz:
So the message that I have for people this evening is please don’t think that we made any decision lightly. On the contrary, we based our decision on what mental health experts have told us, and to do anything else would be akin to malpractice as far as I’m concerned. And the analogy that I used, as an old football coach, if I saw a kid limping around on the sideline, and a trainer or a doctor came up to me and said, “That kid can’t go in. He’s hurt,” there’s no way I’m putting him in that game.
Mr. Lorenz:
When a mental health professional comes to me and says, “Ron, you gotta have school. That’s what these kids need,” there’s no way I’m canceling school.
Aaron:
And just to be clear, students can go.
Mr. Lorenz:
They can.
Aaron:
It’s not … And it will be not counted. Uh, there will be … That’s an excused absence if I heard you correct.
Mr. Lorenz:
They won’t be penalized in any way.
Aaron:
They will not be penalized in any way. Teachers can go. Staff can go. Anyone that wishes to go will be able to go.
Mr. Lorenz:
That’s correct. And-I just want to urge everybody to just keep that family in your, in your prayers. This is … And all of our kids-
Mr. Lorenz:
… and all of our teachers, this has been a very difficult week. A, a special young man, and I think we’ve got a lot of people just trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make any sense.
Aaron:
Right. Thank you, Mr. Lorenz.
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