Students will be returning to in person class across the region Monday, and while the vast majority of area districts were able to keep kids in buildings, the COVID-19 pandemic still continues.
Pella Middle School Principal Josh Manning says they will continue to find ways to work to keep face-to-face instruction in place, as he feels that’s the best way for students to learn, but try to do so while keeping mitigation strategies in place to enhance safety.
Manning is thankful for the effort of teachers, staff, students, and parents to slow the spread of COVID-19 and allow them to also keep many extracurricular activities running, especially after losing out on some of those opportunities after Thanksgiving.
School absenteeism continues to decline in the Pella Community School District as it relates to COVID-19.
There were 1.6% of students who missed class for any reason Friday. A number also on the decline since reaching a peak just before Thanksgiving is the number of students in quarantine, as 2.8% of all students in the district were at home but participating in Virtual Learning to isolate for potential COVID-19 contact.
After reaching a high of 17 positive tests among students on December 4th, that number is now down to five active cases. The number of staff members absent is also down, as only 1.4% missed class last week.