Watch CBS News

Return To School: How DPS Will Look When Students Come Back

DENVER (CBS4) - Students are set to return to Denver Public Schools classrooms on Aug. 17, but there will be certain elements that will look vastly different from years past. DPS released their draft plan this week to outline a return to the classroom.

Denver Public Schools
(credit: CBS)

Here's what families need to know:

Screenings
All people entering a DPS building - students, staff, and visitors - will be screened. For students, that screening will take place before boarding the bus. Staff will also be screened daily and must track times and locations of the classes they're in. Visitors, including parents, will not be allowed past the front office and must complete a temperature and health screening before entering the building.

Teachers and staff will be required to hold virtual meetings for planning time, team meetings, professional development, and all other meetings normally held in person.

Students
Students will be screened before being allowed on a bus. Buses will be limited to 24 students per bus, and students will have to sit one to a seat. The only exception to this is siblings, who can share a seat. Parents of elementary schools must stay at the bus stop until the student passes the screening. Bus drivers and students will have to wear a mask for the duration of the ride.

school zones denver (2)
(credit: CBS)

At School
Adults and students must wear masks on school property except for eating or other designated "mask break" times.

Students will be kept in cohorts this year. The size of a cohort is not predetermined; instead it will be determined by each school's principal based on size. Students should be limited to interactions between no more than two cohorts for elementary school students, and four classes per day for middle and high school students. Staff will be able to move between cohorts, but they must track all times and locations of the classes they're in each day. Teacher's lounges and communal kitchens will be open, but use should be limited to maintain 6-foot social distancing. Face masks are required in lounges and kitchens.

Students will not be able to use lockers this school year, and instead must bring their supplies to their rooms. Those students on IEP and 504 Plan may use lockers based on needs.

MAASS OZELL 10 PKG.New.transfer_frame_2051
East High School in Denver (credit: CBS)

Teachers will not be able to use movable fans, including swamp cooler-type fans, in rooms.

Field trips and overnight trips are not allowed, for the time being.

Librarians will bring books to students in the classroom, and students will be able to use books already in the classroom.

Students will not eat lunch in the cafeteria this year. All meals will be eaten in the classroom.

On the playground, cohorts will be able to use outdoor playground equipment together. Masks will not be required if held outside and social distancing practices are being observed. Playground equipment will not be disinfected; instead, hand-washing after use is encouraged. Recess and Physical Education classes are encouraged to be held outside when possible, and cohorts will be kept together. Those periods will be staggered to avoid mixing. If held indoors, students must wear masks.

High school campuses will be closed, and no one will be allowed to pick up food offsite.

Live-streamed instruction from one classroom to another is encouraged. Teachers are also encouraged to hold classes outside when possible.

Case Response Protocols
All schools will have to designate a COVID site coordinator. The district is setting up a dedicated COVID Response Team to respond to cases once the school year begins.

Every building must have a dedicated health office with 1 coordinator per 400 students, a dedicated bathroom with running hot and cold water, easily cleanable surfaces, and an isolation area to keep students feeling ill from those feeling well. Symptomatic students will be isolated until they can be returned home safely.

Any student or staff who has been in close contact with an infected person must quarantine for 14 days, even if they test negative and do not show any symptoms. "Close contact" for the district is defined spending at least 10 minutes closer than six feet to a person showing symptoms or has tested positive but not yet met the criteria for returning to school.

If a student or staff member tests positive, the cohort will have to move to remote learning for a minimum of 14 days.

The district says they are currently exploring options for testing for staff members.

To read the entire draft plan for yourself, click here.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.