Iowa City High students protest elimination of liaison's position

Iowa City City High students are demonstrating today in support of Henri Harper, director of Fas Trac, who will lose his job as juvenile court liaison at the end of the school year.

Principal Mark Hanson announced earlier in the week that Harper's position is being eliminated and redesigned. He said the new hire will oversee the student advisory center and help kids transition back to school from suspensions.

Hanson was meeting with parents during the morning while students protested outside the front doors of the school, 1900 Morningside Dr.

The students who participate in Fas Trac say the school did not inform them of the change, and said the school is ignoring students' needs.

“We're like a family. You can't break us up,” said 17-year-old senior Deidra Williams.

Arianna Aron, an 18-year-old senior, said the Fas Trac program will not function as well if the school takes away its leader.

“We want answers,” she said.

The students say they plan to stay outside protesting the entire school day.

Fas Trac will go on, Principal Mark Hanson said, and the position, which is funded jointly by the Iowa City school district and the Sixth Judicial District, will continue to keep track of students' school attendance, grades and court cases for school administrators.

“(The position is) being redesigned, and it's different enough that we just said, OK, we're going to start over, we're going to advertise it this way, and then everybody would have an opportunity to apply, including Henri,” Hanson said earlier this week.

The new hire - and Harper will be able to re-apply - will set up shop in a “student advisory center” where students will go for in-school suspensions and get counseling on how to replace their aggression with more constructive behavior.

-- Reporter Adam Belz contributed to this story.