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Littleton School Officials Say Restart Plan Could Change In Mid-August

LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - Littleton Public Schools plans to update their restart plan on Aug. 13, after reevaluating COVID-19 data. In the meantime, the district is planning for a return to school on Aug. 24 with a mix of in-person and online learning, depending on grade level.

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During a Board of Education meeting Thursday night, the administration recommended for preschool - 5th grade to return to in-person learning with safety protocols in place. Students in 6th - 12th grade would return to a hybrid/blended model of both in-person and remote learning.

Under the hybrid model, students would attend school in-person two days a week with remote learning the other three days. Officials said the model allows for greater physical distancing with only half of the students at school at the same time.

The district is monitoring COVID-19 data reported by the Tri-County Health Department and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"This process helps us ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, decisions about school both at the start of the year and in the months to come are based on science and facts, not popularity, pressure, perception or politics," stated Superintendent Brian Ewert in an email to families on Friday.

School officials are evaluating four sets of data to determine the appropriate fall learning model:

  1. Percent of positive COVID-19 tests in Arapahoe County: daily and 14-day rolling average
  2. Daily hospitalizations in Arapahoe County
  3. 14-day COVID-19 incident rates per 100,000 Arapahoe County residents
  4. Daily new COVID-19 cases in Arapahoe County

The district is also providing a Temporary Online Program for Students (TOPS). The deadline to enroll in the online courses is Aug. 7. Officials said the schedule for TOPS will not be affected by COVID-19 data.

"We will continue to monitor Arapahoe County COVID-19 data and use it to guide our decisions," said Superintendent Ewert. "The learning model we implement will be directly tied to how well our community responds to the pandemic and is likely to change throughout the fall. We will be ready."

A recording of the July 30 Board of Education meeting is available here. Families can also access Ewert's presentation regarding the district's decision-making process here, along with the Restart 2020–2021 presentation.

 

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