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Riverside will work to notify the community but must protect the confidentiality of their students and staff.  Schools with 5 or few cases should not provide a specific count, but can only confirm there are cases within the school population. Each week the district will provide a Community Update. 

For the purpose of preparing students and families we have started discussing what remote learning would look like in Riverside.  More information has been included in the November Newsletter. This is preparation only!! We have no data to indicate that we need to move to remote learning. 

NEW--The CDC now defines a "close contact" of someone with COVID-19 as anyone who was within six feet of someone infected for a total of 15 minutes over the course of 24 hours. For example, if a student came into contact with a sick classmate three times during a school day, for five minutes each time, he would be asked to stay home and isolate himself for 14 days, while checking for fever, coughing, and other symptoms of COVID-19. Students and adults in schools would need to go into quarantine if they had close contact from two days before the infected person showed symptoms (or within two days of being tested, if the person had no symptoms) until the infected person started quarantine. 

Previously, a close contact was someone who was close to an infected person for 15 minutes continuously, a rule that has led to confusion in schools about how best to limit exposure. 

Pottawattamie County Public Health and Riverside Community School District can confirm: 

  • Less than Five (5) students have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 since the start of the school year. 

  • New cases this week-Less than Five (5) staff have been confirmed positive. 

  • No new students positive COVID-19 cases have been reported this week. 

  • There were additional students and staff this week placed in quarantine due to primary exposure or testing positive in the community. We have had a total of seventy-seven (77) students or staff since the beginning of the year that have been out and most have returned to school, Currently, eleven (11) are not in school.

  • No students or staff members with major symptoms or a Positive COVID-19 diagnosis are attending school or will be allowed to attend school or participate in activities.  

  • We are implementing strict mitigation protocols.  

  • We have no evidence of school, or activities spread of COVID-19 all cases have been attributed to been community spread. Please consider strict mitigation techniques while outside of school

  • All students who tested positive have completed quarantine, been cleared by Public Health to return to school and are asymptomatic. 

Riverside COVID-19 Information Page

As of today (10-23-2020), Pottawattamie County is 11.8% positive-14 day average.  That indicates that we will provide Traditional Face to Face/Hybrid Instruction with the options for parents to request approval for Remote Learning.

You can access this information at: 

Positive Analysis - Public School District Summary

The following documents will help answer some of the questions you may have about how decisions are made related to quarantine and keeping schools open.

When to Quarantine

How Long to Quarantine

Evaluating Students & Staff

Reopening Schools Safely & Responsibly

Community Spread

Decision points are at:

  1. 0-5%  None to Minimal

  2. 6-14% Minimal to Moderate-Where we are at now

  3. 15-20% Substantial Controlled

  4. >20% Substantial Uncontrolled

Decisions are based on the %, student and staff absenteeism and in collaboration with local and state Public Health and the Iowa Department of Education.