After getting an extra week at home with virtual learning ahead of the start of the Winter Break for students in the Polk School District and amid an increase in numbers, Superintendent Laurie Atkins is asking that parents and students be aware that when classes return in early January, they should plan for the same procedures as the start of the school year.

Working on a four-day week with school set to return on January 5, Atkins is reminding the PSD family that now is the time to get ready to go back to school safely. That means getting ready for social distancing, encouraging students and staff to wear masks, and procedures to keep classrooms clean for at least the first two weeks back from school.

She said with numbers increasing that it is her hope that there will be no change in the schedule to return from the holidays and get students and teachers back to work.

Another 18 positives were added to the total of COVID-19 cases reported in Polk COunty on Sunday, bringing the overall figure to 2,439. Students spent the week of December 14 through December 18 working on their studies virtually due to an increase in the number of teachers out and a lack of substitutes to cover for educators who had to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure or illness.

However, Atkins said that overall numbers have remained comparatively lower for students and teachers even after coming back from fall and Thanksgiving breaks.

What could make the difference is the increase in the positive rate over the past weeks. While students were studying at home online, the two-week average went from 11.9% to 24% during the holiday break. The overall positive rate jumped a full percentage point from December 15 to now.

The latest state school age surveillance report for COVID-19 in Polk looked good. Only 27 new cases have been added for children 5 to 17 years of age in the past two weeks as of the state’s December 24 report, and only 253 of the county’s total cases accounted for youth under the age of 18. College-aged students reported 22 positives in the past two weeks and 233 cases for those 18 to 22 years old.

The vast majority of cases are those over the age of 23, with 1,870 of Polk’s total accounting for those over school age. 216 of the newest cases in the past two weeks came from this particular category.

Atkins said the district will be keeping an eye on these numbers through the week to see what happens and discuss any steps that need to be taken with the Board of Education if necessary. She stressed that students are set to return on January 5 and that any changes in the schedule will be announced before students return to classrooms.