CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Students at Lenihan Intermediate School have spent this year with masks and desk shields. Even though grades have fallen, the students are happy to be in the classroom.

Marshalltown Community School District officials know COVID-19 is primarily spreading in the community, so having students in classrooms is not only safe for their health but important for their academic growth.

While the academics might be struggling, the health of the students and their happiness has been stable. Students have already experienced the first two-week remote learning period before the Thanksgiving break in November. They returned to their classrooms on Dec. 1.

During a Marshalltown Community School Board meeting on Dec. 7, it was revealed grades of remote learners are suffering. In Miller Middle School, 40 percent of virtual class grades are Fs. In Marshalltown High School, 50 percent of virtual class grades are Fs.

However, district staff are confident students can turn performances around and are happy to be back in a traditional educational setting.

“The students are happy to be back,” Lenihan sixth-grade teacher Carrie Bohan said. “Several mentioned they missed their friends, their teachers and learning from home was not as fun as being in the classroom. Many stated that they definitely learn more in the classroom because we are able to discuss and ask questions easier.”

Miller Middle School health teacher Steven Hinderhofer said middle school students are behaving as usual — “10 percent are overjoyed and mega excited to be back, another 10 percent are ‘whatever’ about it, the middle crew is just business as usual coming to school to learn and do the best they can.”

Hinderhofer believes his students did as well as can be expected during the two-week remote learning.

“Some students really enjoy being at home and some of the benefits of learning from their couch or kitchen table or snuggled in their bed,” he said. “Others require more social interaction and it wasn’t so good for them being at home for an extended period of time. It is what it is, and at the end of the day, at the very least, they are learning how to cope with change, variety and different circumstances. This experience will serve them well in the future.”

Monitoring of student health continues, and since the return, actions to ensure the protection of students and staff has not altered.

District Nurse Stacey Tool-Crawford is proud of the way the students have adapted.

“At the high school, we are not seeing non-compliance,” she said. “Students are wearing masks, walking the right way, using their shields. Students want to be here and in school. It is one of the safest places for them to be. We are not seeing spread of COVID-19 in the schools, but are seeing it in the community.”

Bohan said in the Lenihan classrooms all students wear masks, each student has a plastic tri-fold shield to put on the top of a desk. Wipe downs of desks after breakfast and lunch also occur and each student cleans their desk at the end of the day.

“I could go on and on with all the safety measures, but there are too many to list,” Bohan said. “I do want to mention how well our students have done with these safety measures. They understand why we have them and do an amazing job of following safety expectations.”

Tool-Crawford was not nervous about the return to school after the Thanksgiving break in which families were likely to get together. And with the Moderna vaccine soon to arrive in Marshall County, she said the district has been working closely with Marshall County Public Health officials to know when people will be able to receive them.

“We are strongly encouraging our staff to get the vaccine,” she said. “I will get the vaccine. It will make a huge difference. We hope next year will look more normal. It is certainly encouraging.”

After the return to school and the revelation of lower grades on Dec. 7, district Director of Instruction Lisa Stevenson wanted to let parents know the Bobcat Helpline — 641-754-1000 — is available to address technical issues that might be getting in the way of academic success. She also wanted to reassure the chosen remote programs are written for each grade level and are grade-appropriate.

In the second semester, the district will implement a new remote learning program, which is specific to Marshalltown.

“Due to the feedback from students, teachers and parents and the challenges of the kindergarten through fifth-grade program Edgenuity, we have decided not to use that and will use our own curriculum,” Stevenson said.

Some parents have been saying their children need extra help.

“Some students are lower in reading and math grades and it might just be a challenge for them to do well,” Stevenson said.

To help those students, the district has implemented Saturday school and has opened doors to get extra help.

“It is an opportunity for students to come back to school in person and get help during Saturday school,” she said. “We have really been trying to branch out these last six weeks with other ways to support these kids.”

The amount of Ds and Fs is concerning to Stevenson and she said a lot of behind-the-scenes work is going on to fix it.

“We have reached out to other school districts and they are facing the same challenges of kids not getting their work done,” she said.

Stevenson said there is not a single district that is not having this problem. The Marshalltown Community School District is a member of the Urban Education Network, which is comprised of the 15 largest districts in Iowa.

“Everyone in the network is seeing similar things,” she said.

Since the remote learning ended Dec. 1, Stevenson said she has not seen a difference in grades, but that is because the data has not been collected yet. In the meantime, she urges parents to stay informed on what is happening in the district.

“Read the emails, the newsletters, call or email the teacher,” Stevenson said. “Get engaged and participate in their daily schedule and check in on them using tools such as the Infinite Campus so you know if your child is turning in work and how they are doing on tests.”

She also wants parents to know the district is working very hard to ensure the success of every student, particularly in this challenging year.

“This is a very complicated puzzle but we are working daily to get it right and get it better,” Stevenson said.

Contact Lana Bradstream at lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.