School closures continue through April 30

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With novel coronavirus COVID-19 cases rising rapidly in the state of Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced last week an extension to the current closure of schools throughout the state. Schools were already closed for four weeks, with classes scheduled to resume April 13.

The extension now pushes school closures through Thursday, April 30. The previous four weeks (through April 10) has already been waived with regard to makeup for students. With a new extension in place, schools will have to provide online learning plans to the state in order to count the days/hours from April 13-30 and keep school calendars in tact.

Wilton and Durant joint superintendent Joe Burnett said he met with his administrative teams last week and the schools have submitted plans to the state in order to comply with guidelines in an effort to get time counted. “From what we’ve seen, our plan should meet state requirements,” said Burnett.

He noted plans are needed K-12 and there are different expectations depending on grade level. “There’s a lot of latitude from the state for what that looks like. Our administrators have worked real close together on this,” Burnett said.

Assuming school would start again May 1, Burnett said both districts are weighing several different options when it comes to grades and, frankly, finishing the school year. “If we can come back, we’d have around 4-5 weeks of school left so we’d have a 5-week fourth quarter,” said Burnett. “I think we’ll be very fortunate if we’re back physically between now and when school was scheduled to end, especially if we haven’t reached our peak (of COVID-19 cases) yet.”

The extension has also begun affecting important dates and events. Prom at both schools was scheduled for April 25. The Durant and Wilton proms have each been postponed. “I know how important these events are for students and their families. They are memory makers. It may be out of our hands but we don’t want to rule it out yet," Burnett said.

Graduation for seniors is currently scheduled for May 17. The last day of school is May 27. Burnett said it’s too early to tell if graduation ceremonies will happen in the traditional sense, as it will depend on social distancing guidelines at the time.

“We certainly want to recognize our seniors. That’s a major milestone for our kids," said Burnett.

He also noted that other personnel, including para educators, custodians, food service, administrative and office staff would continue to be paid. “We need to take care of our employees. I’m proud of our staff and proud of their efforts. We all miss the kids and our careers are about educating kids,” Burnett said.

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