River Bend Times

Students in Muscatine County, along with students across Iowa, will not be returning to the classroom for the rest of the academic year.

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued the order on April 17 as a continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order applies to both public and private schools, as well as student athletics.

The governor made her decision after listening to recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

“Iowa teachers should be commended for how quickly they have transitioned from the classroom to online and distance learning," Ann Lebo, Iowa’s Department of Education Director, said in a press release from the governor’s office. “Our schools have really stepped up to the plate and worked hard to develop and implement continuous learning solutions in only a matter of weeks.”

Besides keeping all schools in the state closed, Reynolds also said that time requirements for instruction have been waived. Also, the state requirement that all schools in Iowa can only start, at the earliest, on Aug. 23 has been waived as well. Finally, schools must develop a Return to Learn Plan which covers how they intend to address learning issues as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Jerry Riib, Superintendent of the Muscatine Community School District, said in a public statement and printed in Muscatine Living that closing school for the rest of the academic year was a hard choice for the governor to make. However, he said that he believes it was the right decision to make.

He pointed out that seniors will still be able to graduate, and that students will still be able to advance to the next grade level.

“I want to assure all parents that no student will be retained or failed due to the COVID-19 closure,” Riib said. "Everything will be done to ensure that students are in a position to move forward at the start of the 2020-21 school year.”

Iowa has 327 school districts in the state, along with 179 private schools. Schools had originally been closed until April 30.