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Making hard decisions in a pandemic: Southeast principal retires to protect, spend time with son

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Editor's Pick Alert Top Story

Making hard decisions in a pandemic: Southeast principal retires to protect, spend time with son

From the Milestones in Nebraska's coronavirus fight series

• Margaret Reist
• Jun 28, 2020
• Jun 28, 2020 Updated Dec 17, 2020
• 0
• 6 min to read

Brent Toalson sits outside his Lincoln home with his son Alex. Toalson plans to retire as principal of Lincoln Southeast to help care for his son and to reduce the chances of exposing the family to COVID-19 when schools reopen this fall.

KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

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Margaret Reist

In the mid-1990s — after Brent Toalson realized teaching was his calling and gave up law school classrooms for those at Southeast High School — life dropped a bomb on his young family.

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Brent Toalson holds his sons, Alex, 4, (left) and Ben, 2, on the new playground equipment installed at Antelope Park in 2000. The all-inclusive playground equipment designed for children of all ages and abilities was Toalson's dream, which became a reality when the Southeast High School Student Council, which Toalson sponsored, took on the project.

Journal Star file photo

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Pandemic changes college plans for graduating seniors

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Brent Toalson, who graduated from Southeast High School, began teaching there in 1991 and went on to become the school's principal.

Journal Star file photo

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Southeast High School addressing racial tension, other conflicts through peer mediation

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Penrod named new Southeast principal

Tanner Penrod will replace Brent Toalson, who is retiriing at the end of August.

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Finding their voice: Latino students working to support Dreamers at school

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Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSreist

In this Series

Milestones in Nebraska's coronavirus fight

• Updated May 28, 2021

  Governor to require hospitals to keep beds open for COVID patients, further restricts large gatherings

• Updated May 27, 2021

  COVID-19 death count climbs in Lancaster County following surge in recent cases

• Updated May 27, 2021

  Positive cases in LPS schools pass 200 — including 10 in one elementary — but officials say no school spread

• 123 updates

• Previous
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Brent Toalson sits outside his Lincoln home with his son Alex. Toalson plans to retire as principal of Lincoln Southeast to help care for his son and to reduce the chances of exposing the family to COVID-19 when schools reopen this fall.

• KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

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Brent Toalson holds his sons, Alex, 4, (left) and Ben, 2, on the new playground equipment installed at Antelope Park in 2000. The all-inclusive playground equipment designed for children of all ages and abilities was Toalson's dream, which became a reality when the Southeast High School Student Council, which Toalson sponsored, took on the project.

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Brent Toalson, who graduated from Southeast High School, began teaching there in 1991 and went on to become the school's principal.

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