DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ahart issued a response Friday in regards to state guidance in reopening schools this fall.
The response reads:
On July 1, Des Moines Public Schools laid out a plan for Return to Learn, following directions from the Iowa Department of Education, that considered 100% online learning, hybrid learning, and in-person learning with all students present. This plan was the result of not only several weeks and thousands of hours of work by our staff, but reflected input from thousands of our parents and students. As we considered our 33,000 students, their families, and our 5,000 employees, the best answer to keep everyone as safe as possible was to offer a choice between online and hybrid learning to create enough room in all of our schools to take the steps necessary to keep students and staff healthy and safe and to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Today, at DMPS, we are just wrapping up the first week of registration for the 2020-21 school year. Nearly 9,000 students have already registered, with roughly a 70-30 split among families choosing the hybrid model and the virtual option.
Today's proclamation by the Governor raises as many questions as it answers. Our School Board will be holding a work session this weekend to discuss what it means and what options DMPS has to either stay with our current plan, go to a 100% virtual model, or require students to return to school buildings five days a week at a time when Iowa may remain one of the nation's hot spots in this pandemic and as Polk county expects total cases to double within the next five weeks .
The lack of clear and often time contradicting guidance from the federal and state governments has left local officials, including school districts, to their own devices to determine what is best for their community. The input from and support of our parents has meant a great deal as we navigate this once-in-a-lifetime moment in time. All of us at DMPS care deeply about our students and the entire community, and will do everything we can for you during this critical and uncertain period.
As Superintendent, I plan to have additional information to share early next week on how we will do our best to educate our students AND support the health and well-being of Des Moines as the rules have been changed in the middle of the Return to Learn process. I won't have the answer to every question immediately, but we owe it to everyone associated with DMPS to let you know what today's news may mean for our students, staff and families.