PVO sets return date for full in-person instruction

Starting on March 22, all the students in the Prairieview-Ogden School District will return to in-person learning daily.

Superintendent Jeff Isenhower said the schedule will be slightly modified due to the needs of all-remote learners.

Isenhower said the PVO Covid Committee decided it was time to get the students back into the building daily.

“A few things pushed us that way,” he said.

Isenhower said the ability of their staff to get vaccinated and the availability for elder family members in the PVO community to get vaccinated was a big reason why they decided to move to full in-person learning. Isenhower also said the district’s low COVID numbers played a role as did the IDPH’s decision to allow basketball and volleyball to resume.

“It is time for us to move forward from ‘flattening the curve’ to learning to live with COVID,” Isenhower said.

The district is still working on a plan for how it will handle lunches. They have created more lunch periods and will need to space the students out more, Isenhower said.

Despite the challenges, Isenhower feels this is best for the PVO community.

“In-person instruction is best for the students, especially in the younger grades,” he said. “This has taken an emotional toll on the kids as well.”