Jeffco Public Schools Announces Remote Learning Day Option For Snow Days
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Amid uncertainty in the 2020 school year, one of the unknowns was how school districts would handle snow days. That unknown was put to the test during Colorado's recent snowstorm, and one state district has announced a little more clarity.
Jeffco Public Schools has announced they will use "district-wide remote days" as an alternative to in-person learning on days with bad weather.
"While not perfect in all cases, our experience with remote learning has served as evidence that we can pivot from in-person to remote learning, as we have done over the past weeks for some schools dealing with multiple confirmed cases of COVID-19," district leadership said in a statement. "We also believe we can now use 100% remote learning as an option at other times such as in emergency and weather-related situations."
The plan will start the day before an anticipated storm.
Principals and school administration will be notified by the district to prepare for the remote day. Administration will then communicate to their teachers to plan for remote learning the next day. District leadership will make the final decision on remote learning late in the day before the storm comes in, or in the early morning the day of an expected storm.
Staff, families, the community, and media will be alerted in that same time frame.
In the case that a storm moves in overnight or in a short enough time frame that administration does not have time to adequately plan, a 2-hour delay or snow day could be called.
Teachers will be asked to work with their in-person students to take home devices and any other materials they may need to learn from home. They will be asked to plan a remote learning day. Those students that are already learning remotely will not see a difference.
Students who don't have internet access at home will have their absence excused.
The new remote learning plan for inclement weather days will take effect immediately.
