DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa schools districts are still adjusting to guidelines for starting classes, and the state's been asked to explain how it came up with its requirement for 50 percent of classes to be in-person.

The law passed by the legislature (SF 2310) that the state is using for its 50 percent benchmark does not have any such language.

But the state says the word "primarily" in the law limits online learning to 50 percent. "The department's interpretation of primarily, it says online learning will not be the primary form of instruction," said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo. "Fifty-percent is a high level base line for primarily"

Lebo spoke at Governor Kim Reynolds Thursday press conference.

Some Democrats are taking issue with the interpretation of the law, saying it only makes general specifications about online learning and nowhere has the verbiage 50 percent.

Governor Reynolds said exceptions can be made to the guidelines for moving to online only learning.

The threshold for doing so is based on COVID-19 rates in each school district's county. Thursday, Reynolds stressed that kids should be going to in-person classes in Webster County, where the positivity rate exceeds 20 percent (14-day average positivity rate of 22%).

Reynolds says the outbreak in Webster County is completely contained at the state prison in Fort Dodge, where more than 300 cases have been reported. There are currently only 27 cases at the prison.

Meanwhile, Des Moines Public Schools is indicating it will still start classes online.

A letter Thursday night from Superintendent Thomas Ahart says the district will have a plan by next week and classes will start online, which would violate state guidelines. He said the district has been "bending over backward" to work with the governor and the state Department of Education to come up with a plan that works with state law and is safe.

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