DPS Pushes Back Start Date, Students Will Learn Remotely For First 2 Weeks
DENVER (CBS4) - Sources have confirmed to CBS4 that Denver Public Schools will push the start date for the coming year by a week. Also, students will learn remotely for at least the first two weeks of the year.
Sources tell CBS4 that the district will reassess openings on a bi-weekly basis. There is no set start date for in-person classes.
DPS announced their plan at a 5 p.m. news conference and released the following statement from Superintendent Susana Cordova:
Leading with equity means a continued commitment to monitoring our plans and adjusting them to address the needs and safety of our students, families and staff -- particularly our students, families and educators of color. We know that based on our surveys and the current rates of COVID-19, communities of color have been more heavily impacted. With equity in mind, we wanted to share an adjustment to our 2020-21 return plans.
On Thursday I, along with DPS leaders, members of our Board of Education, and DCTA leadership, met with local health experts from Denver Health to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in our community. These health experts shared the most updated modeling they have done on the rates of COVID-19 in Denver. Based on this new data and guidance, we believe it is prudent to delay returning to school in person. DPS will begin the 2020-21 school year with remote learning, with a delayed first day of remote school on Aug. 24 to allow our teachers time to welcome students back remotely. The start date of remote learnin4632813
4633088 g for students in charter and innovation schools may be different; please connect with your school directly.
What to expect through Sept. 8
The week of Aug. 17 will be an opportunity for K-12 educators to connect with individual students, to begin building connections and share class expectations, as well as talk about any additional planning and preparation that may be needed during remote learning. It will also allow us to ensure that all students have access to technology and the internet in their homes. Students in concurrent enrollment courses will also begin their higher-education classes this week.
For most students, Aug. 24 will be the first day of remote learning. We will continue to review COVID rates with our health partners. The soonest we would start our gradual return to in-person would be Sept. 8.
Because there is not a remote learning option for district-run early childhood education (ECE) students, unfortunately there will not be any ECE classes until at least Sept. 8. We hope to share more resources for at-home learning with these families soon. Please note, ECE program offerings from DPS charter schools may be different; please check with your school.
Based on immediate health forecasts and the smaller scale of these programs, we will continue our previously scheduled July in-person programs. Summer Athletics can continue outside as planned and will continue to follow Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) standards.
Planning for a safe and gradual return to in-person, with a continued virtual program option
We learned a lot during the spring's remote learning, and we have taken feedback and lessons from that time to build a stronger remote learning plan for the upcoming school year. And, we know that there continue to be significant academic and social emotional drawbacks to our students learning remotely. Our priority continues to be reopening our schools for in-person learning when it is safe to do so.
In partnership with our leaders and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) leadership, we will work with health officials who are developing a framework for reopening when it is considered safe for our students and staff by reviewing health trends and making data-based decisions. This will include a plan for phasing from remote learning to in-person with a gradual re-entry.
As with all of our plans, families will have the opportunity to choose a 100% virtual program for the fall semester. Families can make this selection during the Annual Family Update, which opens July 27. More details about this virtual program will be shared on Tuesday, July 21.
Throughout our planning this summer, the safety of our students and staff continues to be our number one priority. It has been challenging to make firm plans, given the changing conditions and I want to thank the team members who have spent the past several weeks creating, updating and adjusting these return scenarios. Because of their hard work, we are going into the school year with three strong plans that we can shift between as health conditions change: fully remote, a hybrid model (based on the recommendations of our educator-led Return to School workgroup and the feedback from family surveys), and fully in-person.
We will continue to work closely with the health department -- as well as our DPS Board of Education, the DCTA and other employee groups -- to find a solution that best protects our students and staff, while also safely balancing the benefits of in-person learning we know are so important for our kids.
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Tiffany Choi, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA), issued the following statement Friday:
"We've heard from so many members that there is fear and extreme concern around the nuances of the in-person return to school plans. We appreciate the district discussions with DCTA around these issues and thank Susana for this decision that keeps our employees and students safe. Focusing our energy on a remote learning start to school is in line with the feedback we have received from our members, and we look forward to continuing discussions with the district about the upcoming school year."
