Isabella Murray

Eighteen schools and at least 175 students and staff in Iowa stayed home from school this week due to COVID-19 infections. As COVID-19 spikes across the state, in-person resumption of school for most Iowa districts began this week, resulting in over 48 infections and a vast number of exposed educators, students and athletes. Most school…

After a flow chart released in late July by the Iowa Department of Education implied that asymptomatic educators could return to school after a positive COVID-19 test, social media buzzed with growing concern from parents and teachers ahead of the upcoming in-person school year. The chart, which instructs school students and staff on how to…

About a week after the Iowa Department of Public Health admitted and attempted to fix a large scale glitch in their COVID-19 positivity data, independent data trackers and school officials are left weary of the validity of current state data during a consequential back-to-school period for Iowa districts. Independent calculations from Iowa COVID-19 Tracker, a…

About a week after the Iowa Department of Public Health admitted and attempted to fix a large scale glitch in their COVID-19 positivity data, independent data trackers and school officials are left weary of the validity of current state data during a consequential back-to-school period for Iowa districts. Independent calculations from Iowa COVID-19 Tracker, a…

A student employee contracted at the University of Iowa Hospital had been working since June in a neglected makeshift-office filled with garbage, shared, dirty PPE and a lack of sanitizer amid growing concern of the University’s lack of preparedness during threats of COVID-19. Asking to go by just a first name to protect her identity,…

When news that a major storm was headed toward eastern Iowa last Monday, Palo farmer Gary Owens was tending to his calf-cow operation in a pasture. He received a call from his wife, Vicki, that 90-mile per hour winds were quickly approaching, so he got on his open tractor to head back to shelter. But…

Most Iowa schools will require students and teachers to wear facial coverings at least partially as students head back to school this fall, finds a Des Moines-based education organizer who compiled a list of Iowa schools and districts and their face mask requirements. Former Iowa State Education Association associate director Randy Richardson now organizes with…

State-reported COVID-19 positivity rates are routinely lower than media or individual data collector’s counts, leaving some confused by Iowa’s numbers—important benchmarks used to determine if a school district can switch to online learning during periods of the pandemic. After Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that a county’s positivity rate must be at or more than 15%…

House District 16 candidate Jen Pellant is vying to serve her home city of Council Bluffs because she thinks the Iowa Legislature “needs more working Iowans representing working Iowans.” Hailing from a family of educators, the Democrat has spent the majority of her time as a working professional in the hospitality industry, with some experience…

House District 16 candidate Jen Pellant is vying to serve her home city of Council Bluffs because she thinks the Iowa Legislature “needs more working Iowans representing working Iowans.” Hailing from a family of educators, the Democrat has spent the majority of her time as a working professional in the hospitality industry, with some experience…