Iowa school districts were required to submit a “Return to Learn” plan to the Iowa Department of Education to address how they would mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, but Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center Schools still have much to finalize before school begins August 24th.

AC/GC Superintendent Dennis McClain describes what information districts were required to give to the state, “Everyone in the state had to submit their Return to Learn plan by July 1st, but it was a generic plan designed by the Department of Education that just had a list of questions that said ‘Have you considered this? Yes or no or not applicable if it didn’t apply to you.’ And so it was basically it was just checkboxes for each of the critical areas in our plans that we’re to be devising.”

McClain says that plan submission was the only requirement from the state, and the districts are currently working on finalizing their plan of action for the next school year by July 24th. He also mentions that he and other local superintendents will be meeting with Guthrie County Public Health next week to discuss specifics such as bus transportation and face mask procedures.