All schools within the Lone Tree School District will move to online learning after the Thanksgiving break following the Iowa Department of Public Education’s approval of the district’s waiver request. When Lone Tree’s application was submitted, the district noted a student absentee rate of 12.8 percent and a staff absentee rate of 16 percent due to COVID-19. They also point to Johnson County’s 14-day positivity rate of 17 percent with a 24-hour positivity rate at the time of the waiver request at 31.06 percent. The district also said, “We have one bus driver out presently. Another one would impact our transportation. We have one out in our kitchen staff and another one would impact our food service abilities. This can be said with certified and classified staff as well. We have staff out either from a positive case or quarantining putting stress on the remaining staff in place.”  Lone Tree’s waiver application also states, “The stress is palpable. This is why we believe we need to have a waiver from November 30th through December 11th, 2020.” In the meantime, Lone Tree Schools will run a “hybrid” learning schedule leading up to the Thanksgiving break.  In a statement from Superintendent Ken Crawford posted on the school website, “The entire school district will continue to be 100 percent onsite this week through Friday, November 20. The middle and high School will move to 100 percent online classes for Monday and Tuesday of next week, November 23 and 24. The elementary school will continue to be 100 percent onsite those days.”