COVID-19 closes A-P, D-NH schools

AREA - After Governor Kim Reynolds recommended during a Sunday afternoon press conference that all Iowa school districts suspend classes for four weeks due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Aplington-Parkersburg and Dike-New Hartford followed suit shortly thereafter, along with all of the other districts in the area.

The four-week recommendation of school closures would result in districts re-opening no earlier than Monday, April 13. At press time, A-P and D-NH currently classified schools as being closed indefinitely pending further development in nationwide efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. As of press time, no confirmed cases of COVID-19 were present in Butler County or Grundy County.

A-P's school buildings were closed to staff and students on Monday, and the A-P school board, A-P superintendent Robert Hughes and A-P school principals Aaron Thomas, Brian Buseman and Amy May discussed strategies during Monday's regular board meeting to continue professional development and keep students engaged during the extended break.

Professional development at A-P would likely continue through online interactions with staff getting limited access to the building during development days.

Hughes expressed hope that in the interim, the USDA would quickly approve assistance for A-P to activate a free lunch program similar to the 2019 free lunch program that was at the Parkersburg City Park. Meals will be provided in a drive-thru, grab-and-go process from Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to noon, at both the high school and the Aplington building once the program is up and running – more updates are to come.

"There will be a lot of immediate questions that we may or may not be able to answer while we wait for additional information on the ever-changing situation," said A-P administration in a letter issued last night to parents of students. "Take care, remain calm and stay positive. We are responding to a new reality, but it will be temporary."

A-P does not have a spring break built into its school schedule this year, which may result in a change to the final day of classes for A-P students which is earlier than other school districts in the state. Gov. Reynolds announced that the state legislature intended on meeting in an emergency session to pass legislation allowing school districts to waive the requirement to make up days lost to the four-week school closures – however, such a waiver is currently at the discretion of individual school districts.

No decision was made on changes to the end of A-P's school schedule at Monday's regular board meeting.

At D-NH, classes were held on Monday, and Superintendent Justin Stockdale said that he felt it gave students a sense of reassurance, although parents were allowed to keep their kids home if they did not feel it was safe. The district’s spring break was supposed to begin with an early out on Wednesday and run through the end of the week.

Stockdale told the Eclipse News-Review that he’ll be monitoring the situation “week by week,” but he predicts that D-NH will remain closed for the full four weeks.

“If 100 percent of school districts are going to be off for four weeks, it’s not the time to be a trailblazer during a pandemic,” he said. “I think that’s where this is trending.”

He added that at the present time, D-NH is not prepared to engage in distance learning programs, which would include online classes or instruction by telecommunication. A-P is similarly not pursuing online classes; those forms of instruction do not count toward the 1,080-hour yearly requirement laid out by the state legislature.

The local school districts are each planning separately for enrichment activities and learning links for students who want them in lieu of a formal program.

Another looming question is which staff members will continue to work during the shutdown. At D-NH, Stockdale said it’s likely that some custodians will remain on campus along with foodservice workers to provide meals to kids who need them. The situation is “uncharted territory” for everyone involved, he noted, but the second-year superintendent thanked students, staff and parents for their patience.

“I just continue to ask for people’s patience and understanding… The difficulty comes in making a good decision that’s both responsible and reasonable,” Stockdale said. “People just have to understand that this is about containment and prevention.”