Menu
Virus case sends IGLLS students home
Monday, November 16, 2020
Graphic submitted
Doors shut following principal’s COVID diagnosis
Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School became the first local institution forced to close its doors to students this school year as a result of COVID-19. The school was forced to send those enrolled home after the school’s principal Sarah Popp was diagnosed with the virus.
A local parent of a student indicated student would not return to the classroom until after Thanksgiving, but no official return to classroom learning could be confirmed. No information was available from official sources at the school regarding plans for ongoing online learning options or possible extension of the education year.
Area pastors addressed Popp’s condition during services on Sunday, asking for prayer. Several Facebook posts from friends noted a GoFundMe account has been established for Popp who according to the public site “contracted COVID and has been transported to Sioux Falls to get the best care possible.”
The effort, organized by Marlee Christoffel, is raising money for medical bills and expenses with a target of $5,000.
Attempts to determine the number of families of staff and students impacted by any possible quarantine, as well as a timeline of exposure and safe reopening of the school, were directed to IGLLS Board President Leonard Langner and Colette Rossiter, with Clay County Public Health. Langner chose not to comment and Rossiter did not respond prior to press time.
The Rev. Paul Kaldahl, pastor of First English Lutheran Church in Spencer, which houses IGLLS classroom, said, "There's so much there with privacy laws and all that, we can't say much."
IGLLS is in its 20th year of providing Christian education to students to Spencer and the surrounding area. Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School opened its doors on the campus of Christ the King in 1999 with a kindergarten class of five students. The goal was to reach out to families in Spencer and communities within a 40-mile radius. In August of 2015, IGLLS moved to its current location on the campus of FELC.