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Reprimand letter ends Iowa superintendent's virus dispute

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district says he’s pleased complaints against him stemming from a refusal to return students to in-person classes last year amid a surge in coronavirus cases has been resolved.

On Wednesday, a state panel approved an administrative law judge’s decision that Des Moines Superintendent Thomas Ahart should have a letter of public reprimand placed into his permanent licensure file. The judge denied a state request that Ahart be required to complete 15 hours of ethics training.

The complaints stemmed from the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, when Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered that schools provide at least half-time in-person learning, arguing parent choice outweighed the risks of being infected with the coronavirus.

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