DES MOINES, Iowa — A Polk County judge says he will decide next week whether to allow the Des Moines school district to temporarily move completely to online classes rather than comply with a state order intended to ensure children return to at least partial in-person classes.
The judge says he hopes to reach a decision on the temporary injunction by Tuesday, when school is supposed to resume for the 33,000 students in the Des Moines district.
The district has filed a lawsuit, saying Iowa law gives local school board control over how children are educated and that it’s not safe to hold in-person classes at a time when hundreds of confirmed coronavirus cases are reported every day in Iowa.
A similar case is also proceeding in Johnson County.