The West Central Valley School Board and administration discussed ways to possibly mitigate the spread of COVID-19 when school resumes this fall at their recent meeting.

Co-Superintendent Anthony Lohse stated that they still plan on having their first day of school on August 24th, but a concern that he and other district superintendents have discussed are busing and the risk it would pose to spreading the virus. Lohse mentioned a few options are eliminating or consolidating in-town bus routes, shortening bus ride times to less than 15 minutes, and encouraging parents to drive their children to school, as many baseball and softball players are doing this summer.

As far as whether students will have classes in school or have to do at-home learning, Lohse said it is the Iowa Department of Education’s intention to have all schools open at the beginning of the year, and they will give districts guidance on whether to have buildings open, busing, and other aspects by July 1st. Though Lohse said the state will not be making the decision on whether to close down buildings, rather it will be up to county public health and local school officials. The Board was also informed that the state legislature extended the open enrollment period until July 15th, allowing only for students with underlying medical conditions to open enroll into online schools.