DES MOINES, Iowa — The approximately 40,000 students in the Des Moines public school system will finish their school year at home whether or not Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds allows on-site instruction to resume May 1. All Iowa schools are shuttered to at least that date, with the governor reserving the right to extend the closures.
Des Moines has chosen to finish the year using at-home instruction, with graded work only for those in grades 9-12. Students in the five high schools will have their work graded once required assignments begin April 20.
The Diocese of Des Moines, which operates Dowling Catholic high school and numerous parochial schools in the city, has yet to make a similar decision and is free to choose otherwise.
The decision means an end to all spring sports at all levels for Des Moines public schools, ending the seasons for the boys and girls track, soccer, golf and tennis teams.
Baseball and softball were set to start as normally scheduled when schools resumed campus instruction May 1. It was not known whether the five DM schools — East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt — intended to play those sports should the chance arise.
If the statewide embargo is lifted for May 1, the IHSAA and IGHSAU intend for the spring sports to resume for an abbreviated season, with postseason events pushed back several weeks on the calendar.
If that happens, then schools could have as many as eight or 10 varsity sports being played simultaneously. The impact on rosters, especially at smaller schools, could be problematic.
The compressed spring schedule will also cause strain on the availability of venues, volunteer workers and officials and referees, all of which must be worked out well in advance.
Of course, the quintet of Des Moines schools often compete with others outside of their district, so the potential impact of losing the Scarlets, Huskies, Railsplitters, Polar Bears and Roughriders as potential adversaries or host sites will certainly have a ripple effect.
Reynolds provided a two-week warning in advance of her April 13 closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic and offered a three-week advance notice of her decision to keep campus sites empty until May 1. It is expected a decision on the remainder of the school year will be made no later than April 17.
