DES MOINES, Iowa —
Iowa's largest school district, Des Moines Public Schools, will welcome students back in less than a month.
District leaders are outlining what they are doing to keep students and staff safe.
First: DMPS is not requiring staff or eligible students to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but does encourage people 12 and older to get a shot.
Regarding face masks, right now the CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools regardless of vaccination status.
In Iowa, schools cannot mandate mask-wearing.
"DMPS encourages people to listen to the health experts and voluntarily do the right thing in order to keep themselves and others healthy," the district said in a release.
Masks will still be required in school buses because those are public transportation.
Also, DMPS is not limiting class sizes or spacing kids out, and kids are back to a five-day school week.
The district is maintaining hand sanitization stations and deep cleaning every day.
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