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As schools across Iowa are dealing with positive COVID-19 cases among staff and students, the new year has gone relatively well so far for the West Central Valley School District.

The District’s first positive case of the school year was confirmed of a staff member from the Stuart preschool through second grade building, and Co-Superintendent Rusty Shockley tells Raccoon Valley Radio that through contact tracing currently 13 students from that building have been notified by the Iowa Department of Public Health to quarantine. Shockley says the start of the school year has had its share of lessons in terms of protecting against the virus, “The things we’ve implemented it’s hit and miss in spots without a doubt. At our first football game we had great social distancing, we had a volleyball game the next week which it wasn’t quite as up to par like we would like to see it. So we’re doing some things with the students there in the hallways, kids are doing what they can do to try and keep their distance. Lunch is challenging, it’s just we’re doing what we can do to try and keep kids in school.”

Co-Superintendent Anthony Lohse says it’s been great to have kids back in the buildings and he’s sure that parents are happy to have their kids back in the schools too. In effort to keep learning this way and not change to a hybrid or entirely online model, Lohse and Shockley urge residents to continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s best practices to help prevent further spread of the virus and if you or any family member exhibits COVID-19 symptoms like fever, cough, and shortness of breath, to contact your medical provider immediately.