Jeffco Public Schools Announces Plan For Phased Return To 100% In-Person Learning
JEFFERSON COUNTY (CBS4) - Jeffco Public Schools will return students to in-person learning starting next month. The re-entry will come in two phases.
Phase 1 begins March 15th. Priority will be based on each student's needs. That determination will be made by each school, individual education plans, and needs for special services. Each school will reach out to students and parents based on individual needs.
All schools will maintain social distancing as best as possible. Mask wearing, seating charts, targeted contract tracing, and health screenings will also be strictly enforced.
Phase 2 starts on April 5th. On that date, the hybrid option will end and all students will fully return to classrooms. Alternative requests can be made to each individual school. Those students who have chosen a 100% remote model will stay fully remote, unless a request is made to the school. Schedules, class sizes, and resources will all be weighed when those requests are made. At that time, Jeffco Public Schools says they are anticipating a change in the statewide social distancing requirement made by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Students will return to the classroom four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Fridays will remain an asynchronous learning day. The district says they have found that students benefit from having Fridays to learn from home and to meet individually with their teachers.
Students who attend charter schools in Jefferson County should check with their individual schools for their plans to return to the classroom.
The announcement of the learning model shift comes on the day that CDPHE raised Jefferson County to Level Blue: Caution on the State COVID Dial 2.0.
In a statement released by the district, Interim Superintendent Kristopher Schuh said that vaccination opportunities, among other things, has significantly helped the district reach this point.
"Our efforts to vaccinate our teachers and staff are ahead of schedule," Schuh said. "Nearly all of our employees have now been invited to receive their first shot – and we anticipate that most, especially our student-facing teachers and staff, will have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated before the end of March."
