Douglas County Schools To Bring Middle & High School Students Back After Spring Break
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - Douglas County School District approved plans to return middle and high school students to full, in-person learning, five days a week, beginning Monday, March 22. The move comes with mixed feelings from parents and teachers.
"I teach choir so I haven't heard my choir except for one recording session we did in October," Julia Dale said.
Dale is a choir teacher at Rock Canyon High School. She has missed hearing her students sing, but she does have some reservations.
"Is this safe? We won't be distancing at all at the high school. There will be no areas where we can maintain 6-foot distancing," she asked.
Dale will have her second vaccine shot by the time school starts, but she says she is worried she could still be a carrier, even as students will be taking precautions and wearing masks. With that said, she understands, the process to get back to normal must start somewhere.
"It's always going to be pushing back to normal right? And I think we're not necessarily prepared for that as a society. Going back to normal may feel scary," Dale explained.
"I do have some mixed feelings about it," Gretchen Brahm said.
Brahm has elementary school kids in Douglas County. They are signed up for e-learning through the rest of the year, however she said, they are likely to interact with middle and high school student through extra-curriculars outside of school.
"The ability they are going to have to social distance, once you start putting 2,400 kids back in a building social distancing becomes nil," Brahm said
Some had hoped there would be another delay before school would resume. As it stands, the district plans to bring back middle and high school students right after spring break.
"As I've been talking to my students. They're equally excited and fearful," Dale added.
