Reynolds Signs Into Law “In-Person” Educational Bill
(Des Moines) — Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Friday a requirement that Iowa’s K-through-12 schools hold all classes in-person by February 15th.
Reynolds says it’s an important step in the state’s recovery from the pandemic.
Fifteen public school districts and a private school are currently offering classes virtually or a hybrid model, with students in classrooms every other day.
Earlier this month, Reynolds called on legislators to pass a bill requiring full-time in-person instruction in Iowa schools. Republican lawmakers approved the bill Thursday and the governor signed it Friday.
Schools may continue to offer online classes to students, but it is not required. Holding classes in-person on each school day is. Democrats who voted against the bill say forcing face-to-face instruction for all students will be difficult for large schools without space for social distancing. They also suggested resumption of full in-person classes should wait until
teachers and staff are vaccinated. Reynolds says the state has face shields,hand sanitizer and other pandemic essentials on hand, ready to ship to school administrators who ask for supplies.
Reynolds made brief remarks in the statehouse rotunda late Friday morning, then signed the bill into law in front of a small crowd of supporters.
Jeneary and Taylor Comment On 100 Percent In-Person Educational Bill
(Le Mars) — State lawmakers were split down party lines with the vote to have schools requiring 100 percent in-person classes. State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary (R) of Le Mars offers an explanation of the bill.
The State Senate was the first to pass the legislation, and the House followed on Thursday evening. Jeneary says it has now been proven that students that are attending “in-person” classes and wearing masks are for the most part safe against contracting the COVID-19 virus.
State Senator Jeff Taylor (R) of Sioux Center serves on the Senate Education committee and says it was the students who were the big losers by not having in-person classes.
COVID-19 Deaths Up Again in Iowa, Daily Cases Down
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting another increase in daily COVID-19 deaths. Forty-five more Iowans died of coronavirus complications which brings the death toll to four-thousand-577.
State health officials confirmed 32 deaths Thursday after eight on Wednesday and just four Tuesday. The 947 new positive cases Friday is more than 11-hundred fewer than Thursday. A total of 317-thousand-381 Iowans have tested positive for COVID since the pandemic began. Three-hundred-83 people
are hospitalized for the virus, with 82 patients in intensive care and 29 on ventilators. There are COVID outbreaks in 59 long-term care facilities in Iowa.
Community College Enrollment Falls 1.3 % in Iowa
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa’s 15 community colleges continue to see a drop off in enrollment from the peak. Alison Jepsen of the Department of Education’s Division of Community Colleges says there were some 127-thousand students enrolled in the schools in the last academic year. Jepsen says this is a decline of one-point-three percent from the previous year and follows a national trend, as enrollment most recently peaked during the onset of the Great Recession. She says high school kids who are taking community college classes are now a big part of the enrollment. Joint enrollment of high school students increased two-point-four percent in academic year 2019-20 — to a record high of 51-thousand students. A record 69-thousand-614 students were enrolled in online courses during the pandemic.
