Reversing course, Jeffco Public Schools plans to start the school year entirely online for a two-week period beginning Aug. 24, according to a Thursday afternoon message from the district.
Jeffco elementary schools will begin offering 100% in-person and 100% remote options on Sept. 8 at the earliest, while middle and high schools will open their classrooms with a hybrid schedule that will feature alternating days of in-person and remote learning, the district said.
At the beginning of July, Jeffco Public Schools had announced all students would be able to return to the classroom for in-person learning at the start of the new school year.
“This decision will allow us to better plan and prepare for in-person experiences, and to review the new health and safety procedures with students and families,” the district said of its change in plans. “It will also allow us greater time to prepare for a quality remote learning experience for those families who choose that option for their students.”
On Monday, Jeffco’s teachers union launched a campaign asking the district to postpone in-person learning, citing health and safety concerns for themselves and the families they teach.
In their demands, the union wanted to ensure that safety measures such as proper school ventilation systems and broad COVID-19 testing for students and staff were in place before allowing educators and students back into their buildings.
Denver Public Schools announced last week that its school year would begin remotely, switching from earlier plans to start with students either attending 100% in-person classes or opting for online education. DPS said its about-face was due to new COVID-19 guidance from local public health officials .
“The opening of schools on September 8 with in-person and hybrid options for Jeffco Public Schools will be contingent on virus levels in our community,” Jeffco school officials said in their message to parents. “Depending on how COVID-19 is spreading in our community, we will move between remote learning, in-person or hybrid learning, and fully in-person learning depending on public health levels as determined by (Jefferson County Public Health).”
Thursday’s updated guidance from the second-largest district in the state includes more details on the academic year to come, including:
- The amount of outdoor air in all ventilation systems has been increased by 50%-100% over prior levels
- Health aides, paraprofessionals, campus supervisors, office staff and administrators will be trained and provided protective equipment to wear to conduct daily health screenings on students and staff entering buildings
- Employees — including supervisors — who fail to adhere to social distancing guidelines to limit employee contact will be subject to disciplinary action including dismissal
- Teachers will work with student cohorts to limit contact between student groups
- The district will provide rapid testing for symptomatic staff and students and reimburse employees for out-of-pocket expenses incurred for private testing
- If a student or staff member tests positive, the other students in their cohort, or any they may have had contact with, will be quarantined for 14 days and transition to remote learning for that time
- An Emergency Sick Leave Bank has been created to support any employee who has work absences related to COVID-19 testing or diagnosis/treatment
The message notes all regular employees have life insurance coverage provided by the district.
“There are no perfect options before us,” Jeffco Superintendent Jason Glass said in the message. “There are also no options that we expect everyone to agree with completely. What we have put forth here represents a balanced solution that puts the educational experiences of Jeffco’s children first, honors the wishes of families, and responds to the concerns of staff members.
“For this to work, we need everyone in Jeffco to get on board with helping to execute this plan — you have a role to play. If I have learned anything in my time in Jeffco, it is that the work in this community is in finding the balance between very different (and often polarized) interests.”
