The Pella Community School District continues to plan on proceeding with in-person instruction despite the local increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling says with a large percentage of students in quarantine and total absences up over earlier fall months, he and administration have been weighing their options as it relates to the potential for switching to hybrid or even virtual learning.

However, Ebeling says new CDC guidance and officials from Pella Regional Health Center are recommending continued education in the classroom.

“Last week the the CDC came out with a recommendation that kids need to be in school and that kids don’t need to be virtual or hybrid, and that was kind of a bold statement,” he says. “But the hospital certainly has stayed way more busy and we are weekly in contact with hospital staff. They [Pella Regional] are very much encouraging us to stay the course with having kids face-to-face, because it is going to be a certain burden and challenge for them if they have team members that work at the hospital, and have kids at school that have to be home because of COVID, and then they need to take care of their their children and they can’t work.”

Hear more from the Pella Community School District and their COVID-19 response on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.