rob barren is a des moines public school board member. rob, thank you so much for being with us. and tell us why you made this decision. >> well, first thing i'll tell you is this wasn't an easy decision. what we all want, my board, superintendent, our teaching staff, we all want to get back to normal. but normal is a tough road to get to these days. we looked at the rising positivity rates in colt county, where we are. we thought about the number of students coming in and out of our buildings, with 5,000 staff. and weighed the factors. and it was our judgment, performed by local conditions, that starting virtually was the right thing for our community. >> we've talked to doctors in your state who say this is the right decision. they've said, based on what different counties are experiencing, perhaps there could be a tailored approach but when you're looking at spikes, this is something school boards should be able to decide with safety on their side. that being said, your district could lose funding over this. are you concerned? >> very concerned. one of the hammers the stated h