(Updated) VAN METER, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds is overriding local school districts and requiring students to spend at least half of their education time in classrooms despite concerns the move could endanger children and teachers as the number of coronavirus cases increase in the state. Reynolds’ decision Friday essentially invalidates plans implemented by some districts to limit in-person classes to one day a week for most students with online learning on other days. The governor’s actions are in line with the fervent recommendations of President Donald Trump. Reynolds says districts could seek waivers from the 50% requirement to the state Education Department. There will be no change in the Education Department’s recommendation that districts not require that students and teachers wear masks in school. (Read the entire proclamation here)

The proclamation directs all state agencies, school districts, and local governments to focus on preparing to safely welcome back students and teachers to school in-person in the fall.  It also provides clarity for when a school may move to primarily remote learning, authorizing it when:

• Parents select remote learning as the best option for their family;
• The Iowa Department of Education in consultation with the Iowa Department of Public Health approves a temporary move to online learning for an entire building or district in response to public health conditions;
• A school, in consultation with state and local public health officials, determines that individual students or classrooms must be temporarily moved to online learning; or
• A school chooses to temporarily move to online learning because of severe weather instead of taking a snow day.

Finally, it provides regulatory relief to address the education workforce, including removing limitations on how often and long substitutes teachers can teach and expanding the pool of Iowans who are eligible to serve as substitute teachers.  Mike Beranek, President of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) said Friday, “On the same day Iowa reports one of the highest one-day totals since the pandemic began, we are outraged that Governor Reynolds’ response to this spiraling community spread of COVID-19 is to make it harder for school districts to move quickly to protect the health and safety of students, school employees and communities at large.

The proclamation, he said “Does nothing to increase protections in our schools including how they will pay for extra PPE, disinfectants and cleaning, access to testing, contact tracing, and a host of other data driven mitigation efforts making them safe for students, teachers and school employees to go back to in-person  instruction.” Beranek called the Governor’s proclamation “Short-sighted at best.”

A report prepared for the White House Cornavirus Task Force suggests Iowa is among 18 states where rising infections rates should prompt new restrictions.  Following the Governor’s speech, Progress Iowa executive director Matt Sinovic said “More students, educators, and Iowans will get sick and die because of Governor Reynold’s announcement today. Forcing kids back into the classroom when Iowa is a coronavirus ‘red zone’ according to the White House is completely inexcusable. Case counts are rising, we’re one of only two states without any mask requirements, and the entire response from the Reynolds administration has been a failure. The Governor may just want this crisis to be over, but it can’t be wished away by pretending we’re back to normal. We need real leadership and tough decisions to be made, and I’m afraid we’re never going to get it from her.”

Sinovic said “Iowa students shouldn’t be the subject of Kim Reynolds dangerous and twisted science experiment. Their lives matter more than she is giving them credit for.”