DES MOINES, Iowa — Two central Iowa school districts are set to start their school year completely online this Tuesday, but only one has permission from the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) to do so. .
The state granted a waiver for Ames Community School District to begin classes completely online due to the increase of coronavirus cases in Story County.
On Aug. 26, the county had a positivity rate of 37%, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health's coronavirus website. The positivity rate didn't jump that high until after Iowa State University started their fall semester.
Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), however, didn't receive a waiver to start school online. A hearing held last week left many questioning how the school year will go.
The judge said he hopes to reach a decision on the district's move to start online by Tuesday.