Hunter
08/03/21
The Iowa City Community School District is holding a special meeting today to discuss protocols dealing with health and safety ahead of the first day of school.
The Press Citizen reports that families were due to receive information on the protocols a week from today, but due to parents calling for information, the meeting was called for 6:30pm today.
State law prohibits school districts from requiring masks to be worn inside school buildings, but there is still a concern about spreading the COVID-19 Delta variant after cases continue to rise in Iowa and around the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending masks be worn in schools. They also recommended last week that even fully-vaccinated people should wear masks indoors where there is substantial transmission of the virus. Johnson County is currently categorized as moderate, but surrounding counties are rated either substantial or high.
Among the recommendations to be discussed at tonight’s meeting to keep kids safe are social distancing, mask-optional classrooms, temperature checks, and incentives for wearing masks.