With coronavirus cases rising in Woodbury County, the Sioux City Community School District is looking at a new mitigation strategy for schools. The school board will consider giving the district’s superintendent the authority to order temporary mask requirements in buildings.
Last week, 200 students and over 100 staff members in the district tested positive for COVID-19.
Superintendent Paul Gausman says the district needs to shift its safety protocols to avoid school closures. That’s why he wants to make temporary masking possible in schools.
“And I know that a lot of people have opinions about masks and I’m not here to argue about that. I’m simply saying if the board gives me this authority we’ll look when the numbers start to climb and put mitigation strategies into place to keep that building open.”
The mask requirement would be for individual schools. The emergency protocol would kick in after a certain percentage of students and staff contract COVID-19.
He says curbing infections among staff is the best way to keep schools open.
Woodbury County will be allowed to use at least $10 million of its COVID-19 relief funds to help pay for the new county jail and sheriff’s office in the next budget year. That’s according to some new guidance from the federal government.
Opponents say the county's decision did not fit the guidelines for the federal government funds distributed to local governments. They wanted the funds to be used for local social programs that would help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Woodbury County Democratic party is moving the upcoming Democratic Caucus to a virtual event due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
They will provide a Zoom Link to Democrats who want to attend the caucus on Monday, February 7th at 7 p.m.
