DES MOINES, Iowa - The Des Moines School District is suing the state after being denied a waiver to start school entirely online next month.
In a highly critical letter, the city's school board says Governor Reynolds and her agencies are trying to force their will on school districts to do things that are unsafe.
“Unfortunately, the Governor and her agencies have decided to ignore the local decision-making authority set out in the law to try and force their will on school districts to do things we all know are simply not safe at this time,” said Kyrstin Delagardelle, chair of the Des Moines School Board.
The state is requiring schools to hold half of their classes in-person, unless COVID-19 rates in their counties reach 15 percent over a 14 day period, and school absenteeism is 10 percent.
The Des Moines district says it'll file next week in Iowa District Court for Polk County to block the state requirements and seek to have them overturned in favor of local control of school decisions.
The district says it's continuing to prepare for a virtual start to the school year. It says sports and activities will continue to practice and compete in-person with appropriate precautionary measures.
If the district is able to conduct online only classes, it would defy state guidelines by holding any sports or extra-curricular activities. The state has stipulated that those activities cannot be conducted while a school is holding online only classes,
Des Moines School Superintendent Thomas Ahart was also highly condemnatory of the state in the district's letter:
“DMPS tried to work closely with the State, including numerous conversations with the Governor and her staff, and the Iowa Department of Education, to develop a plan that meets everyone’s expectations, but unfortunately we are not being provided the flexibility to do what we need to do to continue the education of our more than 32,000 students and protect the health and safety of our students, staff, their families and our community,” said Ahart.
“The virtual learning proposed by DMPS is not an act of political defiance; it’s about following science as we resume instruction for our students while doing our part to keep our community safe during a time of continuing uncertainty regarding public health.”