Good news, Denver parents. You have something to look forward to in August: Denver Public Schools will be back in session.
Classrooms and expectations will look different for children. Parents can expect students and educators to undergo health screenings and wear masks inside the schools.
Student schedules will also be adjusted to avoid large groups of students transitioning from class to class. Those schedules haven’t been released yet.
DPS said there will be no assemblies, students will eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms and will not be sharing supplies. Frequent hand washing and generous use of hand sanitizer will be encouraged if not mandatory. School facilities will be disinfected regularly.
The Metro Denver Partnership for Health collaborated with several metro public health agencies to create reopening guidelines and strategies for schools. “Colorado children need to get back to school,” their report states and the partnership is “pleased to provide evidence-informed guidance to our regions’ school superintendents to support their efforts in reopening school safely.”
“We are both excited to welcome our students and educators back to our schools and committed to doing it safely,” Superintendent Susana Cordova wrote in her letter to parents. “We will strictly follow the health guidelines that were released.”
DPS has been monitoring the disease, watching how other schools across the globe have coped with the coronavirus pandemic and weighed the effect school closings have had on parents and the community.
Online schooling will still be available for those families who don’t feel comfortable sending their students back for in-person learning.
While other states have continued to see spikes in COVID-19 infections, Colorado’s rate has remained steady. School and health officials will be closely watching what happens over the course of the summer and said plans and more details will be available in the coming weeks.
