School Districts Developing 'Return To Learn Plans'

While the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of dissipating, Mills County school districts are developing their plans for opening in the fall right now.

Area school districts have been shuttered since March 17 when Gov. Kim Reynolds issued her public health emergency declaration. In April, Reynolds asked the state’s more than 300 public school districts to come up with plans for a return in the fall that includes in-building teaching and alternative plans for more of the distance or online learning and a combination of both models.

The “Return to Learn Plans” were to be delivered to the Iowa Department of Education by today, July 1, the same day districts around the state are allowed to resume all school activities.

The filing of the plans comes on the heels of new guidance released by the state last week that does not explicitly require districts to socially distance or masks to be worn by staff and students when school resumes in the fall.
The guidance seems to contradict the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that staff and students wear face masks “as feasible, and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult,” upon the return to school buildings.

The Glenwood Community School District is planning to open the school year in its buildings as part of a “complete brick and mortar return,” barring a change in public health guidance, on Aug. 20. That plan is just one of four the GCSD in developing, according to Superintendent Devin Embray.

The others, Embray said, are “what if” plans should further mitigation of COVID-19 be needed. The second option, dubbed by Embray as a “quasi-brick and mortar return” would have schools closed on Wednesdays for deep cleaning.
The third scenario is what is being called a “hybrid” plan and has students in buildings two days a week and learning online the other days. Under the hybrid plan, half of district students would go to school Monday and Tuesday and the other half Thursday and Friday with Wednesday being an online learning-only day. The final scenario is a virtual continuous learning model with classes taking place entirely online.

Embray said each plan has its own plusses and minuses and its logistical questions. But a survey sent to parents, teachers and staff last month indicated more than 90 percent of parents, as long as restrictions don’t get any worse than they are at present, “want their kids back in school.”

“We are looking at a full ‘brick and mortar’ return with precautionary measures in place if we can make it happen and public health supports that,” Embray said.

The East Mills and Fremont-Mills Community School Districts are plotting similar in-building, hybrid scheduling and online continuous learning plans for this school year. And all three district superintendents have said public health input will weigh heavily in any decision to open or close buildings this fall.

The East Mills Community School District opens class Aug. 24 – but whether that return will have students back in buildings or in a hybrid scheduling model or working from home online, remains up in the air.
East Mills submitted its return to learn plan in June.

In a telephone interview Monday, Superintendent Tim Hood declined to discuss the specifics of that plan, other than to say it met the state’s basic guidelines.

Hood did say East Mills was continuing to develop its plans for the fall in light of the most recent Department of Education’s reopening guidance. He added that a survey sent to parents overwhelmingly favored a “brick and mortar” return for students and staff.

“That will be something that we spend some time trying to figure out,” Hood said. “Our goal is to try and do what we feel is best for students to return safely in the fall.”

The Fremont-Mills Community Schools and Superintendent Dave Gute were still finalizing its return to learn plan as of Monday. Gute said the district, as of now, is planning to have all students in the building for the beginning of the school year. When that date might be is still being debated.

F-M was scheduled to open class on Aug. 24 but the district is considering moving up that date to Aug. 18, “to give us some flexibility,” Gute said.

“Our plan is to bring students back to the building, hopefully all of them,” Gute said “The state has pushed us to work with the local health agencies, so we’re working with Fremont and Mills counties to help us make these decisions if the state isn’t going to put a declaration or a mandate out there.”

Embray admits the school reopening guidance sent out last week by the Department of Education is confusing because the social distancing factor isn’t required.

School districts cannot require students wear masks, according to Embray, nor can they deny transportation or education to a student who chooses not to wear a mask. Nevertheless, Embray added, the district will be “highly encouraging” masks.

“But it will be difficult to require them,” he said.

Glenwood has already purchased about 8,000 masks at a cost of more than $4,000, Embray said. The district plans to buy more before the start of the school year.

Neither East Mills nor Fremont-Mills has decided on its social distancing or mask protocols for the upcoming school year.
Gute said masks have been discussed but with the state recommending masks not be required in buildings, he isn’t sure how such a policy can be implemented. The district has purchased some masks and hand sanitizer stations with plans to purchase more. He describes the planning and discussion as more wait and see than hard targets and dates.

“The biggest thing we need to get out to parents is the protocols we have for health and safety,” Gute said. “What does it look like for kids entering the building? Is it hand sanitizer stations? What about masks? We hope to have that set up soon but as far as whether we’re going to start in the building, that might not be decided until a week out with how fast everything is changing.”

Embray agreed the response and guidance for dealing with the pandemic is dynamic and that makes any planning difficult. He cautioned against parents, students or staff getting too locked in on any of the return to learn scenarios more than a month before the start of school.

“COVID is such a fluid situation where something new is coming out every day where we find out this works or that doesn’t work and so a lot of this has to do with interpreting the newest guidance and figuring out how to make that work,” Embray said. “We’re trying to put a plan together that makes sense for the majority of people.”