With a small number of substitute teachers and full-time staff covering teacher absences during their free periods, the Washington Community School District is extending their early out Fridays through the rest of the school year.
Superintendent Willie Stone explained during a special board meeting on December 20th that 1:10 p.m. dismissals are still needed every Friday to give staff needed time to prepare for their classes and handle school work for students who are learning from home due to COVID quarantine or other reasons, “Honestly, this year has been more stressful on our staff than last year has. I can’t really put by finger on why. but it just has. And we need to make sure we’re taking care of their social-emotional needs and giving them time to prep and do the things that they need to do, and this does that.”
Substitute teacher shortages have been an issue since the beginning of the school year, and this year has been unique as residents continue to contract COVID-19 and Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law in May banning local governments and schools from requiring masks. Iowa schools have been able to require masks since U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt issued a temporary restraining order and later entered a preliminary injunction in October. The Washington School Board approved to keep masks optional following that order. Iowa’s number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and those in intensive care were higher Thursday than on the same date last year. Those not fully vaccinated account for 83% of COVID patients in the ICU and 80.6% of those hospitalized. Seventy-point-two percent of Iowans 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
The district already has one monthly early dismissal scheduled from January through May and besides Fridays that they have no school, the board’s approval will now add 11 early dismissals to the calendar. Stone says their calendar has more than enough instructional hours accounted to afford this change, and the largest negative impact he sees is potentially to parents and guardians who must find after school care or transportation.