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Iowa’s governor said Friday that she is keeping state schools closed through the rest of the academic year to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
"I would like nothing more than to stand before you today and announce that Iowa will be open for school in May," Gov. Kim Reynolds told a news conference, the Des Moines Register reported. "But I can't tell you with certainty based on the Department of Public Health data that early May will be the right time for students, teachers and staff to gather again in their classrooms."
School districts will continue teaching online and through paper packets distributed to students for the remainder of the year, Reynolds said.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. (The Associated Press)
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The governor also announced that all spring sports seasons will be canceled.
Statewide, 2,332 Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19. There have been 64 deaths.
The state reported 91 new COVID-19 cases Friday -- the largest one-day increase since the coronavirus was confirmed in Iowa on March 8, the paper reported.
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Reynolds recommended closing Iowa schools March 15, which came after some school districts already had announced closings.
She later ordered schools to close through April 30 and to submit plans to provide continuous learning for students.
Iowa joins 28 other states that have ordered or recommended school buildings remain closed for the rest of the academic year, the Register reported.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that no schools in the state would be reopening this academic year.
More than 500 Iowa school districts, including all public schools, are providing distance learning.
"Under normal circumstance, the timeline for developing continuous learning plans would take months, years even," said Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education, according to the Register. "Our schools developed and implemented solutions in only a matter for weeks."
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