WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - The West Des Moines School District will continue with classes both in-person and online after rejecting a proposal to go 100 percent online Monday night.
The West Des Moines School Board held a special meeting to consider the online only option after the COVID-19 positivity rate in Polk County climbed above 10 percent (10.7 percent).
The district has low levels of absenteeism, as well as a low level of infected and quarantined students and staff.
The state allows a district to apply for online only classes if its county has a positivity rate of 15 percent, and a school has a 10 percent absentee rate.
The West Des Moines School Board is calling for continued monitoring of data, including the state's current low percentage (7 percent) of kids 17 and younger who've contracted the virus.
The board has recommended a continuation of its policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including continued collaboration with the Polk County Health Board.
The West Des Moines District currently has an absenteeism rate of 3.8 percent. Fourteen students have tested positive for the virus, while 71 are quarantined. Two staff members have tested positive, while 14 are quarantined. The district released detailed information here.
The school board has suggested reserving every Monday as a placeholder in case it needs to reconsider its COVID-19 policies.