Muscatine High School moving to virtual learning for two weeks

Muscatine High School. Photo by Jim Elias

Press Release:

Monday, November 9, 2020

Starting Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Muscatine High School will move ALL hybrid students to virtual learning for 2 weeks. This will lead up to the Thanksgiving break, thus, MHS students would return back to their hybrid (in-person/virtual) schedules on Monday, November 30th. The hybrid schedule for the week of 11/30 to 12/04 is A,B,A,B,A. This decision was made based on Muscatine County’s 14-day COVID-19 positivity rate along with the absenteeism rate and staff levels at MHS. The MCSD COVID-19 Dashboard is accessible online via our ‘Return to Learn’ website or by clicking here.

“The safety of all Muscatine students and staff will always be our top priority. As a school board, we anticipated this could happen when we resumed school this fall. The board unanimously supports the decision to request students move to the virtual learning module for two weeks. We know this decision will impact many families, but for the health of our students and staff this is the right decision to make. We must continue working together by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands often,” said Tammi Drawbaugh, Muscatine School Board President.

All MHS students have district-provided laptops that will be used at home during the duration of this closure. Students and staff have been preparing for the move to virtual since the start of the school year. For students without internet access, the district has a limited number of hotspots that can be loaned out at no cost to the students. The district will continue providing free meals Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for all children in Muscatine 18-years and under. To apply please click here and complete one application per each student in your home.

Per the guidelines set forth by the Iowa Department of Education, schools are able to request permission to go virtual for two weeks at one time. The district will continue to monitor the county’s 14-day positivity rate, absenteeism, along with staffing levels to determine the best path moving forward. Additional information will be communicated as needed via SchoolMessenger and the MCSD social media outlets.

Contact:
Tony Loconsole
Director of Communications & Community Engagement
Muscatine Community School District                                                                                   Tony.Loconsole@mcsdonline.org

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