Numbers even out, Charles City School District remains in hybrid learning

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City School District still has a waiver in its pocket, but with numbers seeming to level off, it may not need to use it.

As of Thursday this week, the district intends to remain in its hybrid learning plan, and doesn’t plan to go to full remote learning from home.

The student absentee rate was 4.31% Monday, 4.43% Tuesday, 4.37% Wednesday and 4.5% on Thursday. The rate for positive tests in Floyd County held at 17.3% on both Wednesday and Thursday this week. The district reported that 34 individuals were quarantined on Thursday.

Those numbers are under the level which the school district has deemed necessary to make the move to full remote learning.

The school district received a waiver late last month from the Iowa Department of Education to go to full remote learning whenever it chooses, if necessary. The waiver is good for two weeks of full-time remote learning, and the district can adjust the start date as needed.

In October, the board approved a hybrid-decision making matrix that takes into consideration student absence rates and transmission rates within Floyd County as metrics to determine whether to remain teaching on site, to go back to the hybrid learning plan, or to close school altogether and going to full remote learning.

The two biggest metrics factored into the matrix to trigger the move to full remote learning include a county positivity rate of above 20% and a student absentee rate of 10% or higher. Charles City and Floyd County are both under those levels, although the county positivity rate has been above 30% for a significant amount of time in the last month.

The wild card not factored into the matrix is staff absentee rate. Before Thanksgiving, the school district reported more than 25 teachers and other staff members were absent from school, the majority of those due to a COVID positive test or quarantining due to coming into close contact with a positive COVID case.

Many Iowa school districts seeking waivers for online learning have said they don’t have enough staff — teachers, bus drivers, custodians, lunchroom employees — available even if students were forced to be in schools.

In November, the Charles City middle school and high school had to close their doors for two days because of a positive test and related quarantines by one or more food service employees.

The district reported Wednesday this week that there were no known teachers or staff members who were absent due to testing positive for COVID-19, and although there may have been some in quarantine, that number has decreased significantly since before Thanksgiving.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said at a news conference this week that K-12 students should be in the classroom, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, and indicated she will push for a requirement that all districts offer students an option for 100 percent in-person instruction.

Reynolds cited studies showing the virus does not spread as rapidly among school-aged children as it does adults, and expressed concern that students who are learning remotely could fall behind. She ended the news conference by appealing to parents to become advocates for schools resuming their in-person instruction.

“I think parents need the opportunity to also have the (option) to go 100 percent in the classroom,” Reynolds said. “I would just encourage parents out there to talk to your educators, talk to your school boards, and let’s get our kids back in school.”

As of Monday this week, 26 of Iowa’s 300-plus school districts had at least one building that was in hybrid or fully remote instruction, according to state Education Department data.

Last week, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its quarantine guidelines for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus, stating that a potential exposure requires less time to quarantine, and the Charles City School district adjusted its quarantine protocols to match the CDC.

The updated guidance alters the 14-day quarantine once in effect. Now, if an individual is in close contact and does not get tested he or she needs to quarantine for 10 days, rather than 14 days previously recommended. If an individual is in close contact, they may get tested on day five and if the test result is negative they need only quarantine for seven days. Individuals are responsible for their own testing.

The state of Iowa announced on Thursday these new guidelines are now in effect. The CDC and the Iowa Department of Public Health recommends people should still monitor daily for symptoms — such as fever, a cough, or a loss of taste or smell — for a full 14 days after possible exposure. These new guidelines are also in effect for Charles City Community Schools as well.