DES MOINES, Iowa — School districts are looking to state and county leaders for more guidance on when they should and shouldn't allow students in the building amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We've got the models, we've got the plans in place, but how will we shift from one to the other?" Saydel Community School District Superintendent Todd Martin said.
The Iowa Department of Education required schools to prepare for three scenarios in their Return to Learn plans submitted on July 1. The first scenario is for on-site learning, the second is for remote learning and the third is a hybrid option where students are in the build only part-time.
Districts said they haven't gotten guidance on when they should move from one scenario to the next.
"We'll need additional guidance from the state on this, particularly from our Department of Public Health and the Polk County Health Department," Martin said.
"What metrics around COVID-19 would warrant shifts to a more restricted model or closures, particularly for schools. I think we're all asking for those types of metrics. We're all asking for those types of guidelines as a roadmap, if you will, to help us understand if we're in full occupancy or all on site, what has to happen for us to shift to a different model?"
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The Iowa Department of Education said that's not a decision for them to make and deferred to health experts.
"While our goal is for students to return to in-person, on-site learning in the fall, Return-to-Learn plans are designed to give school districts and nonpublic schools flexibility to meet the challenges that starting the 2020-21 school year during a pandemic may bring," Iowa Department of Education spokesperson Heather Doe said in an emailed statement.
"These are good questions and we understand that schools would like more information on how to address and handle potential outbreaks this fall. Public health experts are best positioned to address public health concerns."
School officials said they understand plans are still a work in progress but want more guidance when it comes to benchmarks.
"We understand everybody's working really hard and are trying to do great things," Martin said. "No one's trying to be critical at all because the Department of Education is working hard, Department of Public Health is working hard. It does come down to helping one another and understanding when those shifts might happen through those metrics."
Local 5 has reached out to the Iowa Department of Public Health and the governor's office, but haven't heard back yet.