A Message from the Des Moines Public Schools - Published on Friday, July 23rd, 2021
“Normal” has been a frequently heard word in recent weeks as the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic begins to fade and lift. From public events to schools to businesses and more, many aspects of life feel more like they did in 2019 and earlier rather than what we have experienced since Spring 2020.
At the same time, new variants of the COVID-19 virus are starting to cause renewed concerns as cases increase, both in Iowa and around the world, especially among people who are not yet vaccinated.
With the start of a new school year a month away, Des Moines Public Schools is ready to welcome students back to the classroom while doing what we can to lessen the spread of COVID-19 … and encouraging everyone to do their part.
This article outlines those steps, and what school districts in Iowa can and cannot do in response to public health concerns.
VACCINATIONS
Getting vaccinated is the single most important thing eligible students, staff and parents can do before the start of the school year. It is the most proven, surest way to protect yourself from the virus and put the pandemic further behind us. Since the COVID-19 vaccine started to become available for the education sector back in February and then available to people over 12 later in the Spring, DMPS has encouraged everyone and anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. The school district has hosted several clinics for staff and students provided by local health care providers.
At this time the vaccine is available for people 12 and older, which essentially covers all middle and high school students. The eligibility age is expected to be lowered, but no date has yet been announced. However, all eligible members of a household being vaccinated improves the odds of our under-12 students from contracting and spreading the virus.
To schedule a vaccination, please visit www.immunizepolk.com.
FACE MASKS
At the time of this writing, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that anyone in a school building who is not vaccinated wear a face mask. The American Academy of Pediatrics goes a step further, recommending that everyone in a school – vaccinated or not – should wear a mask. In Iowa it is now against the law for schools to require face masks. DMPS encourages people to listen to the health experts and voluntarily do the right thing in order to keep themselves and others healthy.
MITIGATION
DMPS will continue measures to minimize the spread of the virus within our buildings. This includes steps such as:
- continuing greater air circulation,
- maintaining hand sanitizing stations,
- enhancing day-to-day cleaning,
- continuing the process of replacing water fountains with bottle filling stations.
The school district is also in regular contact with local health care providers and county public health officials on a range of health issues, including whether there are additional measures we can take given the current restrictions.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Social distancing is no longer feasible, of course, with a regular five-day school week for the vast majority of our students, nor can school districts change their learning models to hybrid or virtual in the event of an outbreak. Those facts make all of the above steps – from getting vaccinated to following mask recommendations to our mitigation work – that much more important.
We are all ready to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind and, by many accounts, we are on the way. But much work remains to be done. By taking some basic steps, such as getting vaccinated and listening to the public health experts, together we can get off to a safe, healthy start next month and ensure that 2021-22 is a “normal” school year.
