Going Viral: Lessons Learned During the Covid-19 Pandemic

New restrictions imposed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds kicked in Tuesday to try and reduce infection numbers and hospitalizations due to COVID-19.  They include requiring masks in all public and state  

buildings in certain circumstances.  Siouxland Public Media reached out to Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott and he shared his thoughts on enforcement, the local hospital surge and pandemic fatigue as he faces an autoimmune disease putting him at higher risk for complications if he contracts the virus.

Emotions run high when it comes to education during COVID-19; parents with varying outlooks, teachers' unions worried about safety and school leader trying to balance health and education.  Siouxland Public Media reached out to members of the Sioux City Community School District's Board of Directors for their opinions.

Statement from Sioux City School Board Member Dan Greenwell:

The head of the Sioux City Education Association again expressed concern about school buildings being used as voting locations.

During Monday night’s Sioux City Community School Board meeting, union leader Kris Snavely urged board members to change future calendars to give students the day off during major elections. She suggested teachers participate in a professional development workday instead.

The Sioux City Community School District addressed increasing absences with staff and students due to COVID-19.  Even though no official action was taken, Siouxland Public Media's Sheila Brummer has more on the increasing concern with some school leaders when it comes to keeping students and staff safe.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Paul Gausman says some buildings in the district are getting close to moving to virtual learning only.

The state of Iowa allows a school district to move to virtual learning if the 14-day positivity rate exceeds 15% with 10% absentee rates. 

Today we have an update from the Reblitz family in Moville. Their two school-age children attend Woodbury Central Schools.  Their father Donny Reblitz is on the school Board.  Their mother Stacey teaches at the elementary school.  Today we learn that their son Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 and had some serious symptoms.

For several weeks into the school year, the family had not been affected by the coronavirus, but recently, their son Jackson became ill and tested positive for the virus.

Hospitalizations reached a record high once again in Iowa with health officials logging 1,400 more cases statewide and 90 more in Woodbury County on October 15, 2020. 

Pam Venturi is a single mother of five who believes she caught  the COVID-19 from the long-term care facility where she works as a nurse. 

She tested positive almost a week ago and provided this update.

Sioux City Community School Board Member Perla Alarcon-Flory provides Siouxland Public Media with an update on the battle her family faces with COVID-19 .  She shared her story with Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer.

Perla Alarcon-Flory says her family, including husband and two daughters started coming down with symptoms of COVID-19 about two-weeks ago.  Her husband’s condition progressively got worse with high fevers and vomiting.  

Nathan Flory ended up in the ER over the weekend, before an ambulance took him to a hospital in Omaha for testing and treatment.

One Sioux City Community School Board member and her family are in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. 

Perla Alarcon-Flory joined Monday night’s board meeting by phone and expressed her support to move to hybrid learning for students and staff in the district due to increasing cases of the virus in schools across the district.

Alarcon-Flory shares her experience with COVID-19 and the impact of the disease on her life and her thoughts on providing students with the best educational opportunity during the pandemic.

Another family taking part in the Going Viral series is the Marquez family.  They live in Sioux City. Daisy Marquez is the mother of four children.  Two of them, girls, are learning virtually while spending time Girls, Inc.    

Daisy says the Girls, Inc. program has made it easy for her girls to learn distantly.

Pam Venturi is a single mother of five between the ages of nine and 15.  All of her children attend Catholic school in Sioux City.  One battles lupus and stays at home for learning.  She talked to Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer about the school year and what she does to try and unwind during this stressful time. 

More information on the Pet Rock Band can be found here.

As part of our continuing series, "GOING VIRAL: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic," we once again speak with Donny and Stacey Reblitz of Moville.  Donny is on the Woodbury Central School Board and Stacey teaches in the elementary school.

Stacey and Donny talk about their fears about the lack of a facemask requirement at the schools.  Their son Jackson had to stay home for a week in quarantine after he had contact with a another student who tested positive for the coronavirus.  

Donny Reblitz in on the Woodbury Central School District School Board and his wife Stacey is a teacher in the elementary school.  They have a unique perspective on how issues like facemask mandates affect students, teachers and families.  Their children Sadie and Jackson learned this first hand, when Jackson had contact with a fellow student who tested positive for the Coronavirus. 

I asked my daughter Katie what she thought about the hybrid system that was in place in the Sioux City schools.  She found it difficult to feel connected to instructors and other students.  Katie is back now in person at North Middle School.

In this interview for the GOING VIRAL project, I talk with Donny Reblitz of Moville. We  meet Donny and he tells us about his family.  His wife Stacey Reblitz is a para-professional at Woodbury Central Schools.  Their two younger children Sadie and Jackson attend school there.  Donny is on the school board.  

Donny talks about his concern for his children's and his wife's safety.  Stacey works in the elementary school.  

A school year started with uncertainty.  Will cases spike with children back in the classroom?  How will parents be able to navigate changes that might emerge with the need to protect the community?  

One thing as a parent you might notice is the excitement for students to return class and their friends. 

Siouxland Public Media's Sheila Brummer discovered that while driving her seven-year-old to school for the first time since March 13th.  

Pam Venturi of Sioux City, is a single mother of five between the ages of 9 and 15.  One battles lupus and stays at home for school. All the children attend Catholic school in Sioux City. 

Pam set up a hidden recording to talk about their experiences the first week of school.  You’re going to hear an edited and sometimes chaotic version of their conversation over Chinese food with Antonia, Bernadette, Nico, Maria Paola and Kateri.

COVID-19 created chaos for school districts, educators and of course parents.  The Venturi family includes Pam Venturi, who is a single mom to five school-aged children.  The kids who range in age from 9 to 15 plan to attend class in-person and virtually.

The night before school started, Pam talked to her family about going back school for the first time in several months. 

Students in the Sioux City Community School District returned to the classroom full time in September 8, 2020 after doing a hybrid model for the first two weeks. 

During hybrid learning, students either attended school two days a week in person (Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday) for two days a week.  They work on lessons at home the other dayss.  Families can still choose to keep their children home.

“It’s becoming a little real and that concerns me.” - Donna Behrens, Sioux City mother and Perry Creek PTA President.

Donna and Tate Behrens provided Siouxland Public Media's Sheila Brummer with an update almost a week after the school year started.  

The Siouxland Public Media project, “Going Viral: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic” provides insight with families, teachers, school leaders during a year of educational uncertainty due to COVID-19.

The Siouxland Public Media project, “Going Viral: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic” provides insight with families, teachers, school leaders during a year of educational uncertainty due to COVID-19.

The Behrens family of Sioux City consists of Donna and Todd and their son, Tate.  Donna is the current Perry Creek Elementary School President; a post she's held for several years.  Todd is the Director of the Sioux City Art Center.  Tate just started 5th grade at Perry Creek.

This week on The Exchange, we are introducing a new ongoing project. It's called: Going Viral: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic. We focus on parents, teachers, and children's experiences as students return to school with the Coronavirus still raging in some parts of Iowa.