Iowa schools are ordered to close through April 30, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced during her COVID-19 press conference Thursday.“Keeping Iowan students out of classrooms is a very difficult decision, but it remains necessary for now,” she said. In the Iowa Quad-Cities, students have not been to school since March 13, including a week of spring break.Reynolds specified she is not ordering schools to close for the remainder of this school year and noted it was important schools provide continuous learning opportunities to their students.The Department of Education has created two options for districts to provide continuous learning: Learning opportunities can be voluntary or required, and districts will need to make a decision and notify the department by April 10.Department of Education Director Ann Lebo said the department will also implement an expedited application process to gain approval for required distance learning.