The Idaho Education Association suggests Idaho schools in COVID-19 hot spots should be taught online to start the school year

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) - The Idaho Education Association says that 75 percent of Idaho students are currently in areas that qualify as hot spots

A hot spot is designated as an area with a positivity rate for COVID-19 of more than five percent. The South Central Public Health district currently has a positive rate of more than 13 percent.

IEA President Layne McInelly says that positivity rates need to go down before schools open their doors again.

“Educators are the first people to say that they want to be back in their classroom. There is no replacement for those hands-on learning activities, the differentiated lessons that educators are able to provide,” McInelly said. “But they also understand in order to keep our students and our educators safe, they need to learn remotely.”

Overall, Idaho is considered a red zone by the White House. This means the state has an overall positivity rate of over ten percent

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