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This article is republished here with permission from The Associated Press. This content is shared here as the topic may be of interest to Snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of fact-checkers or Snopes editors.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An aggressive push by the pro-Trump governor of Iowa to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling and experts calling the scientific benchmarks used by the state arbitrary and dangerous.
The clash in the Midwest condensedly illustrated the tension between science and politics – and between economic concerns and health fears – that characterized the country’s response to the outbreak from the White House. The virus has devastated the American economy and killed more than 170,000 Americans.
“We are about to see a tragedy unfold in the state. And there’s not much we can do about it. It’s scary, ”said Sara Anne Willette of Ames, a parent and former math tutor who runs a condition’s infection data tracking website.
The problem is Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ mandate in July that districts provide at least 50 percent of classroom instruction.
The conflict escalated on Wednesday when the statewide teachers’ union announced a lawsuit challenging the governor’s ability to make such decisions for local districts. The Iowa City School Board, which like many others had planned to start the year entirely online, voted to join the lawsuit.
In her order, the governor said districts where 15% or more of coronavirus tests were positive in the previous 14 days can apply for permission to switch to online education for two weeks at a time.
Health experts say Reynolds’ 15% cutoff is not science-based and is three times higher than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests is safe. The surgeon general recommended a limit of 10%.
States and local districts have widely varying thresholds for reopening schools, but Iowa is among the highest in the world.
“They decided they wanted to open schools, and then set the threshold, rather than deciding what is safe and achieving that goal. They did it backwards, ”said Eli Perencevich, an infectious disease expert at the University of Iowa.
In contrast, New York says schools can reopen if positivity rates are below 3%. Arizona put its rate at 7%.
Perencevich and others warn it will only be a matter of time before educators, students and their families in Iowa face illness and death in growing epidemics. About half a million students are preparing to enter school in the coming days.
Reynolds dismissed health warnings as scare tactics and, echoing President Donald Trump, argued that children rarely get seriously ill or transmit the virus. She said schools should be open for the benefit of children and parents can work.
“Education is fundamental to the well-being of our children, and our teachers are essential to ensure that our schoolchildren come back to learn rather than marking time and losing ground,” she said. “We can do it safely.”
Reynolds noted that one of his daughters will be teaching in person and that eight of his grandchildren will be in school this fall.
Since his order, Iowa’s epidemic has only worsened. Its per capita cases are the highest in the Midwest, the number of patients currently in hospital has risen to nearly 300, deaths topped 1,000 on Wednesday and dozens of nursing homes are suffering from epidemics. The governor refused to order the wearing of masks statewide.
As of Wednesday, only a few districts in the state would qualify to apply for a waiver according to the state’s calculations.
To make matters worse: The data the state uses to calculate local positivity rates has been flawed.
The Fort Dodge District said this week that its positivity rate looked darker than it really was because a clinic failed to report up to 3,000 negative tests.
Other school districts are experiencing worse outbreaks than state data would indicate. Reynolds’ office said on Wednesday it was fixing a major data flaw that unintentionally backdates thousands of negative and positive test results, which will reduce or increase each county’s 14-day positivity rate.
Thomas Tsai, a Harvard health policy researcher, called Iowa’s 15% threshold arbitrary and said it was made worse by data problems. He said Iowa was among the states that were rushing to reopen schools despite the virus not being contained, while others that could safely reopen them did not.
“You see the two extremes,” he says.
The governor’s order also required school districts to give parents the ability to choose education only online, and many wondered what to do.
A storm that damaged school buildings across the state last week with winds of 100mph dealt another blow, and many districts have delayed their start dates so they can clean and repair.
But he also highlighted the friendly relationship between Reynolds and Trump, who traveled to Iowa on Tuesday to discuss the damage with the governor.
Business groups have supported it in its approach to reopening schools. Democratic lawmakers and school officials have mostly lined up against her.
“I think the governor is misinterpreting this law,” said JP Claussen, a member of the Iowa City school board, who said the state parameters “do not appear to be designed to ensure the safety of our staff and of our students. “
The governor has warned that administrators who challenge the state could face discipline against their licenses. In addition, the state said schools switching to 100% virtual education will not be allowed to offer sports or other activities. This could push administrators to keep classrooms open even during an outbreak.
Under pressure, some districts, including Iowa City, have decided on a hybrid arrangement in which students will attend classes two or three days a week.
But the Des Moines District, the state’s largest school system, continues to battle the state, despite the county’s positivity rate well below 15 percent. The school board intends to start next month in an online-only format, but allows sports and other extracurricular activities.
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