DES MOINES, Iowa- The Des Moines School district is announcing plans to finish out this school year, thru on-line learning, starting next week for high school seniors, April 20th for other high school grades, and April 27th for all other students.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic projected to peak in Iowa in late April, returning to school immediately afterwards is not in the best interest of the health of our students, staff and community,” said Dr. Thomas Ahart, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. “On any given school day, 40,000 people pass through the doors of public schools in Des Moines. By keeping our school buildings closed, we will help mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus in the metro and hopefully lessen a second round of the virus.”
“We realize this is a significant change for our students, staff and families. Frankly, I wish we could see our students back in school tomorrow. But this is the right thing to do for the health and well-being of the entire community,” added Ahart. “I feel especially bad for our seniors – this is no way to end your time in high school – but we will be working on ways to celebrate the good work of the Class of 2020.”