135 COVID-19 PATIENTS ARE IN THE ICU TONIGHT. WITH THE RISING CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN MIND, THE DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD MET THIS AFTERNOON TO DISCUSS THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THE DISTRICT. KCCI’S KAYLA JAMES MONITORED THAT MEETING. KAYLA, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES FAMILIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR? KAYLA: NOT AT THIS MOMENT. THE DISTRICT NOW HAS A DOCTOR BUT CONTRACTED AS A CONSULTANT TO HELP BOARD MEMBERS DETERMINE FUTURE CHANGES. WEDNESDAY’S MEETING SAW DES MOINES SCHOOLS BOARD MEMBERS ONCE AGAIN LOOKING INTENTLY AT CORONAVIRUS DATA. AS THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS INCREASE AND THE WEATHER GETS COOLER, DR. MEGHAN SCHAEFFER DID BRING UP CONCERNS. >> YOU HAVE LESS HUMIDITY IN THE AIR. THOSE VIRUSES SPREAD EASIER PERSON TO PERSON, BUT THEN YOU’RE ALSO DRIVING PEOPLE IN DOORS AND AROUND EACH OTHER, WHICH BETTER FACILITATES SPREAD OF THE VIRUS. KAYLA BUT DOCTOR SCHAEFFER AND : THE BOARD ALSO LOOKED AT THE DISTRICT’S METRICS. >> I SEE THESE METRICS AND I THINK YOU’VE PICKED GOOD ONES. KAYLA AS OF WEDNESDAY EVENING, : THE 215 POSITIVE CASES PER 100,000 IN THE LAST WEEK THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY RAISES CONCERN FOR THE DISTRICT. ANOTHER CONCERN, THE COMMUNITY POSITIVITY RATE INCHING CLOSER TO 10%. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AT DISTRICT SPECIFIC METRICS, BOTH STAFF AND STUDENT ABSENTEEISM REMAIN BELOW THE PREFERRED METRICS FOR HYBRID LEARNING. >> I AM MORE THAN CONCERNED WITH WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS GOING I’M -- WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS GOING. I’M NOT FINDING MYSELF IN A POSITION THOUGH TO GO BACK TO VIRTUAL, UNLESS I KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING IN THE BUILDING I FAILING TO CURB THE SPREAD. KAYLA: IN THIS AFTERNOON’S MEETING THE BOARD DID MENTION A , PLAN TO ADDRESS METRICS AND CURRENT DATA AT EVERY BOARD MEETING TO KEEP FAMILIES IN THE KNOW. THOSE MEETINGS OCCURS ON THE FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY OF E