DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools is looking to update their official Return to Learn plan for the upcoming school year.
DMPS Superintendant Dr. Thomas Ahart released the following statement Thursday regarding the school districts plans moving forward:
Dear DMPS Families and Staff:
I know that there isn't a single one of you who's not under stress waiting to hear our final return to learn plan. That has been the forefront of our focus for months and the last thing I wanted to do was to write to you tonight without giving you that information.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what I'm doing.
We didn't anticipate being in such a difficult position this late in the game, but the Governor's directives of July 17th and July 30th rendered the plan that was months in the making noncompliant.
Although I don't have a plan to share with you at this moment, we are working on little else: bending over backward in our work with the Governor, the Iowa Department of Education, and public health professionals to offer a plan that is in compliance with the state and is congruent with our primary objective: protecting the health and safety of our students, staff and families as we return to learn.
The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I confidently anticipate that by the end of next week I can communicate with clarity our plan to move forward.
In the meantime, thank you for your continued faith and patience. Please know how committed we are to welcoming all of our students and staff safely back to our schools as soon as possible.
Local 5 will continue to follow the progress within the DMPS Return to Learn plan and update you as more information is released.