All students at West Middle School are being moved to emergency virtual learning beginning Friday after multiple students in the 7th grade either tested positive for COVID-19 or were showing symptoms of the virus.
Originally just 7th graders were moved to virtual learning on Wednesday and . parents tipped local media about the move Thursday,
The school district decided late Thursday afternoon to move the entire school to emergency virtual learning beginning Friday morning.
School Board Member Monique Scarlett says she and other board members were first made aware of the situation at the beginning of the week:
OC………board directors :14
West Middle will remain in virtual learning through November 25th, with on-site learning resuming on November 30th after the Thanksgiving break.
Scarlett has been pushing the district to go back to hybrid learning for the past few meetings as new covid cases in the county have risen:
OC……….proactive mode. :28
Several school districts in Iowa have applied for waivers to temporarily go all virtual because of the increase in covid cases statewide.
Scarlett says she would like to see Sioux City’s district do the same:
OC………….tough to do. :22
The district originally just moved the 7th graders at West Middle School to virtual learning because middle school grades are primarily housed in a pod, so the cross-contact is contained within the grade level.
All of the 7th graders at West Middle School have been moved to emergency virtual learning after multiple students either tested positive for COVID-19 or were showing symptoms of the virus.
After parents tipped local media about the move Thursday, School District spokesperson Mandie Mayo returned an e-mail to media members confirming the West Middle 7th graders were moved to virtual learning on Wednesday.
School Board Member Monique Scarlett says she and other board members were made aware of the situation at the beginning of the week:
OC………board directors :14
Scarlett has been pushing the district to go back to hybrid learning for the past few meetings as new covid cases in the county have risen:
OC……….proactive mode. :28
Several school districts in Iowa have applied for waivers to temporarily go all virtual because of the increase in covid cases statewide.
Scarlett says she would like to see Sioux City’s district do the same:
OC………….tough to do. :22
The district’s statement says they learned November 10th that multiple individuals from one grade at West Middle School either tested positive for COVID-19 or experienced symptoms.
Because middle school grades are primarily housed in a pod, the cross-contact is contained within the grade level.
The district responded by moving the seventh-grade class of West Middle School to emergency response Virtual Learning effective November 11.
FILE PHOTO
