Dubuque Times

Schools in Eastern Iowa are running into an issue with the governor and deciding if they have to make up for the lost time since the coronavirus had schools shut down across the nation. 

There have been two options released since the shutdown that would allow students to avoid having to make up the lost time since schools closed.

One of the options that are available to students is voluntary review work that does not require a grade. Also, this option cannot be new material. The required option would allow lesson plans to move forward by taking attendance and issuing grading scales. While these are options available for most of the schools, other school districts like Tipton are rural. Justin Wester, the school Superintendent said that this option is not possible or realistic.

"No new instruction is taking place because we can't guarantee students in a rural community to have internet access at home and also have the ability to have the technology to be able to engage in these online learning required classes," he said, reported by KCRG.

Most of the students in rural schools will pose the risk of being left behind on lesson plans or not have the opportunity to be graded due to the possible lack of internet access and other tools. This will also prevent the students from learning new materials.

Wester said that most of the schools outside of the rural areas spent a few years setting up online learning plans, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Des Moines has spent two years preparing for online schooling and has already put in an order for 300 hotspots to try and implement the online learning courses within two weeks.