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Dear elected state officials.....

Dear elected state official,
I am writing to you on Sunday morning March 15th in a quiet house with sleeping 8 year old twins and a husband quietly scrolling through the news to get the latest update on how COVID-19 is impacting Iowa.  Since the elders of our church have been so careful to cancel our regular service today, I have plenty of time to sit here and share my thoughts with you.

I am a kindergarten teacher in the state of Iowa.  I work for a large, amazing school district who works diligently to ensure students are provided all the tools essential in their success as an individual.  Beginning last week, our superintendent has been communicating clearly about the possibility of this virus impacting how we do school in the days/weeks ahead.  Within two days, my wonderful kindergarten team of professionals have developed tools and creative ways to continue learning for all students should the need arise to close schools.  Our district is also brainstorming ways to get food to students during this time as well. I am absolutely blown away by our staff’s professionalism and the creative minds that are coming together for the families in our community.

However, after more thought, maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised.  It was just a year ago yesterday that astronomical flooding rocked our little community.  Our water source was compromised and our school district pressed on, providing stability even when some didn’t have a home to return to.  We operated using porta potties and hand sanitizer at school, while shuffling our own kids to and from homes with well water to get a nice shower. It impacted some individual’s day to day very little, but EVERYONE showed up for their community offering to do laundry or dishes or meals.  During the flooding, our district kept our doors open to provide a safe, normal place for our kids to be. School was a safe haven for kids feeling anxious about their circumstances. We showed up because that is what a community does.  

Now a year later, COVID-19 has become this new lurking crisis for our community to overcome.  Should we keep our school doors open as long as possible and just hope it doesn’t spread too fast?  Or should we close our doors to minimize the spread now? I know there are so many conflicting opinions about what is best for our communities right now, but I do know one thing for sure. While the virus may impact some people groups very little, EVERYONE needs to show up for their community by doing their part.  This might look like our elected officials making decisions to close Iowa schools and allowing for Elearning days to be counted as school days and teachers creating learning tools parents can access at home. We all have to do our part. Grocery shopping for an elderly person who really shouldn’t be out and about or bus drivers delivering food to students’ homes, we can all do our part.  A small inconvenience for you may mean life sustaining measures for another.  

The governor has recommended to cancel or postpone meetings of 250 or less, yet our schools are going to continue to welcome many more than 250 students through our doors on Monday morning, waiting for a positive test before closing for a few days.  Our elected officials have not yet passed legislation that will allow schools to close their doors and operate via technology. This means these days will absolutely be made up at the end of the school year in the state of Iowa AND that could mean more than just a couple weeks.  With a technology driven society, I am struggling to understand how the unknown of how that would look trumps the safety of our communities.

During the flooding, school was the safest place for our kids to be.  It helped our community so much to allow flood impacted parents to take care of things while they knew their kids were safe and in their normal school environment.  Our own community and communities all around us supported us in our efforts to keep our doors open to students by providing bottled water, sanitizer, food, etc. But what does our community need from our school district during this new COVID-19 challenge?  Is school the safest place for our kids to be when events larger than 250 people are canceling due to the concerns of community spread? Is allowing groups of 250+ kids to meet daily safe? Is this safe when many of our littles don’t yet understand developmentally how to keep hands out of their mouths?  Is it safe when they go home at the end of the day to parents and grandparents who care for them?  

Please let creative minds come together to develop plans that allow for schools in Iowa to operate while also keeping our communities safe.  A small inconvenience for you may mean life sustaining measures for another. 

Derrica Hutchings

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