The West Central Valley School Board discussed their ongoing return to learn plans and a consolidation of bus routes to mitigate COVID-19 at their meeting Wednesday night.

Co-Superintendent Anthony Lohse stated that “things really changed over the last couple days” since Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation that directs schools to conduct in-person instruction primarily and that school building or district closures are subject to the Iowa Department of Education and Public Health’s approval. The Board along with school nurses Carol Howey and Stacy Richter, administrators, and Director of Teaching and Learning Amanda Nims discussed the three proposed models of learning they have developed, and whether face mask usage should be required. The Board came to an agreement that face masks should not be required for staff and students, but strongly recommended.

The co-superintendents mentioned that prior to the Governor’s recent proclamation they had built in having Wednesdays off for the District to be able to conduct regular thorough cleaning of the buildings, though students would still have planned learning from home on those days. As 50% of the student body are now required to always be in the buildings, Nims said they are looking at possibly having an A-B schedule to rotate students.

Currently, the District has not received guidance on recess or what to do when a student has tested positive for COVID-19, but they have planned for mandatory seating charts for contact tracing, and more mobility of teachers in classrooms rather than whole classes moving throughout rooms for different subjects. Transportation Director Rochelle Foster also proposed eliminating some bus stops from each of the communities to cut down on movement of kids between buses. No action was held following the discussion.