Hunter
07/31/20
The Iowa State Education Association issued a statement rejecting Governor Kim Reynolds’ return to learn plan.
Reynolds plan doesn’t allow for a request to online learning until the positivity rate in the county the school is located reaches 15 percent; the ISEA says there should be no in-person learning until the positivity rate is five percent or lower.
The statement adds, “If in fact a 20 percent positivity rate is the point at which our schools can ask for permission to close school buildings for 14 days, that means one in five Iowans will need to test positive and perhaps experience severe to drastic consequences before we can take the steps necessary to protect the health and safety of our students, educators and school communities.”
In the statement, the Association lays out their own three-pronged requirement to allow in-person learning.
First, COVID-19 must be under control in the community, with transmission rates low or declining for two straight weeks. Second, protections must be in place at the schools to keep the virus under control. The third requirement is for a continuous learning plan available for every student, including device access, high-speed internet access for every student. The ISEA says educators should be involved in this third requirement.