A dispute between Iowa's governor and the state's largest school district could mean summer school for students and crippling bills for the school system.
. Des Moines school officials have repeatedly refused to abide by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' order that districts hold at least half their classes in-person, saying it's not safe.
School districts across the country have struggled with the decision of whether to return to classrooms despite the risk of coronavirus infections or shift to online learning, and the choice is especially stark for Iowa's capital city. Des Moines has had one of the nation's highest rates of people testing positive for COVID-19, and school board members ask how it would be possible to enforce social distancing rules in their crowded classrooms and packed school buses.
“Except for our state Department of Public Health, every other health expert we talk to doesn’t understand why we’re even having to have this fight because they recognize it isn’t safe for us to reopen our schools,” said Des Moines Superintendent Tom Ahart. “It feels like operating in an alternate reality.”
Reynolds is the only Midwest governor to issue a statewide order requiring in-person instruction, with all other states in the region leaving decisions to local school districts. Reynolds, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump who has demanded on Twitter that “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL," also has refused to issue a statewide mask requirement and told at least 10 cities that they can’t enforce local mandates because they would exceed her actions.
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