Over 600 students in the Iowa City Community School District are in quarantine and 11 classrooms are closed because of exposure to the coronavirus as of Wednesday morning.
Of those students, 127 are currently positive for COVID-19. Five staff have also tested positive and 16 are in quarantine.
When a classroom is closed, students continue learning virtually for two weeks until they can return to in-person learning.
The largest number of students in quarantine is at Northwest Junior High where 253 students are in quarantine and less than 10 have tested positive.
About 700 students attend Northwest Junior High in Coralville.
City High School has the second largest number with 99 students in quarantine and 18 who have tested positive.
The next highest number of students in quarantine is at Lucas Elementary School, which has 43 students in quarantine and less than 10 who have tested positive.
Other schools with more than 10 students in quarantine are Borlaug Elementary School, Coralville Central Elementary School, Garner Elementary School, Horn Elementary School, Lemme Elementary School, Liberty High School, Longfellow Elementary School, South East Junior High School, Weber Elementary School and West High School.
Iowa City schools are following quarantine guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Students in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case, even if both people were properly wearing a mask, will be quarantined.
The district is also continuing with its 14-day quarantine guideline for students and staff exposed to COVID-19. The CDC released new guidance earlier this year that allows for reducing the number of days from 14 to 10.
The district has been struggling curb the spread of COVID-19 after over 100 students were quarantined at Northwest Junior High the first week of March.
In an email to families March 3, Northwest Principal Elizabeth Bruening said four students and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 and were contagious while at school.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 160, which required K-12 school to offer 100 percent in-person learning starting Feb. 15.
Since then, district officials have expressed concern about quarantining a larger number of students now that they are required to offer 100 percent in-person learning.
Until then, the district had been offering students the choice between hybrid learning, split between A and B days in-person and virtual, and online-only learning.
Of those students, 127 are currently positive for COVID-19. Five staff have also tested positive and 16 are in quarantine.
When a classroom is closed, students continue learning virtually for two weeks until they can return to in-person learning.
The largest number of students in quarantine is at Northwest Junior High where 253 students are in quarantine and less than 10 have tested positive.
About 700 students attend Northwest Junior High in Coralville.
City High School has the second largest number with 99 students in quarantine and 18 who have tested positive.
The next highest number of students in quarantine is at Lucas Elementary School, which has 43 students in quarantine and less than 10 who have tested positive.
Other schools with more than 10 students in quarantine are Borlaug Elementary School, Coralville Central Elementary School, Garner Elementary School, Horn Elementary School, Lemme Elementary School, Liberty High School, Longfellow Elementary School, South East Junior High School, Weber Elementary School and West High School.
Iowa City schools are following quarantine guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Students in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case, even if both people were properly wearing a mask, will be quarantined.
The district is also continuing with its 14-day quarantine guideline for students and staff exposed to COVID-19. The CDC released new guidance earlier this year that allows for reducing the number of days from 14 to 10.
The district has been struggling curb the spread of COVID-19 after over 100 students were quarantined at Northwest Junior High the first week of March.
In an email to families March 3, Northwest Principal Elizabeth Bruening said four students and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 and were contagious while at school.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 160, which required K-12 school to offer 100 percent in-person learning starting Feb. 15.
Since then, district officials have expressed concern about quarantining a larger number of students now that they are required to offer 100 percent in-person learning.
Until then, the district had been offering students the choice between hybrid learning, split between A and B days in-person and virtual, and online-only learning.
Over 600 students in quarantine in Iowa City schools
253 Northwest Junior High students — most of any school in the district — in quarantine
www.thegazette.com