With COVID cases shooting up, school district returns to hybrid learning plan

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City School District is very quickly running out of healthy teachers.

“We are running out of staff very rapidly,” said Superintendent Mike Fisher.

Fisher addressed the Charles City School District Board of Education at a special meeting Thursday, and told the board that the staff absence rate that day was 14.5%. Currently 19 school district employees are on COVID-19 leave, either because they tested positive or because they are in quarantine.

“The middle school has been disproportionately impacted, with 13 absences between teachers and para-educators,” Fisher said, noting that seven of those absences had to be filled by other teachers, para-educators or administrators.

Because of that staff reduction, along with a big increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the community, the school board unanimously agreed with Fisher’s recommendation to return to the hybrid learning plan that the district implemented at the start of the school year.

The only exception will be 6th-graders, who will remain in full-time on-site learning.

“We have to do everything we can to keep staff healthy,” Fisher said. “This is our shot at keeping schools open.”

Starting on Tuesday, the district will transition grades 7-12 back to hybrid learning, through at least Tuesday, Nov. 24. A calendar will be available to parents and the public by the end of this week. Fisher said he was working with Public Health to develop metrics for when to return to full-time learning. Those metrics will be introduced to the board at next week’s regular meeting, Fisher said.

“We’re not happy about this, this isn’t what we want to do by any means,” Fisher said. “However, the conditions in the community continue to deteriorate. We’re asking our community to step their game up, on social distancing, on face coverings.”

According to Floyd County Public Health, the 14-day average COVID-19 positive rate in Floyd County has been above 10% for four consecutive days and continues to trend up. The rate was 10.5% on Monday, 11.5% on Tuesday, 12.8% on Wednesday and 14% on Thursday.

In October, the school board reviewed and passed a matrix clarifying the parameters for transitioning in and out of hybrid learning. When the rolling average is above 10% for three days or more, the district begins the procedure to transition back to hybrid learning for two weeks.

On Wednesday, the district reported 10 new cases among individuals in the district, at the high school, middle school and Washington Elementary. There was at least one more positive case reported at Washington Elementary on Thursday. The district currently has 41 individuals in quarantine.

The recent uptick in cases came after the school district reported just one positive case in the entire month of October. With the virus seemingly under control at that time, the district opted to phase in a return to full-time learning for high school and middle school students. Now the district will return to its original hybrid plan, in the hopes of bringing the numbers back down.

“This is a dangerous thing, folks,” Fisher said. “We’ve had two of our staff members who have spent time on ventilators in the last few months, and I will not allow us to be reckless.”

Fisher said that the change back was not what he wants to do, but what he has to do for all the students.

“I can’t see more people — kids or staff — get hurt from this,” he said. “I know that might frustrate people, but please give us grace, and be patient in affliction and joyful in hope, and slow to anger.”

Fisher and the school board took questions and heard comments from the public during the meeting via Facebook, and one commenter questioned the need for the district to take action.

“Why do the schools get to close down?” asked Brandon Schradle. “There is almost no other business or entity that closes because of COVID. If the private sector can stay working, I think you can to.”

Fisher said he respectfully disagreed with the premise of that comment.

“While the private sector may be able to do that, we are under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Department of Education and the governor,” Fisher said. “At the end of the day, I’m responsible for our family here, and it’s not worth getting somebody killed.”

Fisher said staff members in the district have almost lost their lives to COVID-19.

“I’ve watched staff members go on ventilators, and didn’t know if they were going to come off,” he said. “I cannot gamble with people’s lives.”

Later in the meeting, Fisher clarified his response and pushed back further on the comment.

“We’re not closing, we’re still open, we’re modifying,” Fisher said. “We’re doing our best to stay open, and I know many businesses in town that have had to modify to stay open.”

Board member Scott Dight pointed out that several board members either own or work for local businesses, and all have had to change the way they do business during the pandemic.

“It’s not uncommon. I know a lot of businesses in town that have people working remotely so they are not in the facility,” Dight said. “They keep down the number of people who can be exposed, so that the business can keep working.”