Two days after students returned to class fulltime in the Sioux City Community School District one class
was sent home for virtual learning.
Nodland School moved one second grade class into what they call emergency response virtual learning.
The plan is for the students to return to the classroom on Wednesday, September 23rd.
That’s because several in the classroom tested positive for COVID-19 or showed symptoms.
Tomorrow, the Sioux City Community District plans to provide the public with another update on the number of students, teachers and staff members impacted by the coronavirus. There were a dozen cases last week and fewer the week before.
The district says families of the schools impacted are notified about the decision to go to emergency virtual learning the day the decision is made.
At a news conference today, Reynolds said online learning is great for families who have the means to make it work. But for those who live in stressed economic conditions, the schools often provide everything.
Governor Kim Reynolds continues to stand behind her decision to require at least 50 percent of classes in Iowa schools be held in person. Des Moines Public Schools is the only district that is not using a plan that complies with the rule, citing fears about the spread of the coronavirus. The district began the school year virtually Tuesday.
At a news conference today, Reynolds said online learning is a great option, but the lack of in-person educational disproportionately hurts disadvantaged students and those living with disabilities,
“And it can lead to severe learning loss, especially or those with heightened behavioral needs. For so many of our students, our schools provide everything.”
Reynolds said students learning at home can miss out on meals, learning support systems, and mental health care.
The governor was once again asked about a possible mask mandate.
Reynolds said such a mandate would be unenforceable, and she trusted Iowans to wear masks, social distance, wash their hands frequently and stay home if they are sick.
Twenty more Iowans have died from complications of COVID-19 and more than 800 new cases of the virus, according to the Iowa Department of Public Heath’s website. There have been almost 72,000 who have tested positive since the start of the pandemic. 1,205 have died. There are currently outbreaks at 30 long term care facilities in Iowa.
Three Siouxland counties are at the top of the positivity rate for coronavirus testing. They are Sioux and Lyon with just over 20%. Plymouth county stands at 19%. That a lower amount than earlier this week.
More state prisons workers have recently tested positive for COVID-19. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said in a news release Thursday that an employee at the agency’s central office and another at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln are the latest to test positive. On Tuesday, the department said two other staffers — one attending the agency’s Staff Training Academy and the other at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women — had tested positive. The latest cases bring the number of prison employees across the state to test positive for the virus to 72.
