Keota school board approves in-person learning plan

KEOTA - In-person learning with masks recommended, but not required, will kick off the year in the Keota Community School District.

At a school board meeting Thursday night, members voted to approve the measures. School will begin on Monday, Aug. 24.

Keota Principal Jim Henrich said four families have requested online learning for the school year due to their students having preexisting health conditions.

In the classrooms, the school will provide masks for all students or they have the option of bringing their own. Students in grades kindergarten through sixth will be assigned a color of mask according to grade. For example, Kindergartners will have yellow masks and first-graders blue.

The teacher will collect the masks at the end of the day, wash them and return them to students the next morning. The idea is to ensure students have clean masks everyday, and the colors are to keep them organized. Students in seventh through 12th grade will be responsible for cleaning their own masks.

Henrich said 310 masks have already been donated to the school and an additional 250 are expected to be donated as well.

Students riding the bus will be given assigned seats and family members will be required to sit together. The same rule will apply for the lunch room.