Last Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds released a proclamation mandating schools must offer more than 50 percent of their core instruction face to face unless they are granted a waiver from the state. In addition, the proclamation states in-person instruction will be the presumed method of instruction. Exceptions to this rule include allowing parents to choose remote learning as the best option for their family. 

This decision has been met with criticism from local and county school officials, many of whom had already developed plans for fall learning nearly two months ago. For some, the guidance will not alter their plans too much. For other districts, however, the late guidance has forced them to completely change their planning for the school year. 

For example, the Iowa City school board voted to begin the year with all remote learning and Des Moines Public Schools high school students are going to attend school in person only once a week. These and other districts will now have to completely rework their plans for school reopening. 

There’s no doubt most of us understand the importance of having children attend schools in person. School is where younger children learn social skills and develop relationships, and social interaction is vital for K-12 students. Few will deny most students learn better through face-to-face interaction.

However, we cannot put aside the fact COVID-19 cases are on the rise in many counties and students are not the only people inside a school building. It’s important to take into consideration the health of teachers, counselors, nurses and administrators, as well as the families students will come home to after school. 

Gov. Reynolds’ proclamation came far too late considering she required “return-to-learn” plans from all schools by the beginning of this month. Schools submitted these plans only to have to change them last minute, creating even more confusion and worry for school districts, students and their families in an already distressing period of time.  

There is nothing in the proclamation addressing testing in schools or additional resources for schools who may struggle to provide a safe environment for students, due to lack of personal protective equipment, staff or space for social distancing.

The proclamation also does not offer recommendations on how schools should respond to positive cases of COVID-19 among students or staff. Instead, this guidance will not arrive until Aug. 1, just a few weeks until school begins. This gives very little time for schools to develop a contingency plan in accordance with the guidelines issued by Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education. 

Instead of dictating how school districts across the state should reopen, Gov. Reynolds should have left reopening plans up to each individual district and provided districts with more support to help them reopen safely. 

Why didn’t she trust local and school officials to do what’s best for each of their districts? Each district has its own needs and different obstacles to overcome in order to keep students and staff safe while delivering education. 

It’s Gov. Reynolds’ job to lead Iowa through the pandemic and keep Iowans safe; unfortunately, she seems reluctant to do so.

Protecting the lives and well-being of students, staff and the community should remain our top priority.