It's been the question everyone's been asking for weeks. What will school look like in the fall?
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Susana Cordova has announced the district's decision to move forward with in-person, full-time learning in the fall.
BREAKING: Denver will offer full-time in-person instruction this fall. #edcolo District is holding a press conference at 1. Let me know what questions you have. https://t.co/QN0gA7oU8I via @ChalkbeatCO
— Erica Meltzer (@meltzere) June 26, 2020
The decision is in keeping with the Colorado Health Institute's recommendations. Students and staff who go to school will experience mandatory daily health screenings, and everyone will be required to wear a mask.
If families do not want to send their children to school, a full-time online option will also be provided for all grade levels. But the initially proposed hybrid program of alternating groups of students attending school on alternating days will not occur.
In a press conference on Friday afternoon, Cordova stressed that the district has learned a lot about remote learning over the last few months and how to pivot if needed, down the road.
"We have learned a lot about what really is important in remote learning," she said. "And if we needed to shift, we would be able to implement much more effectively a program for two weeks if a class needs to go out for two weeks, or for longer, if a school needs to go out for longer."
"We've done extensive surveying of our students, their parents, and our teachers on what has worked and what has not worked," Cordova continued. "By far, the classrooms that had more opportunities for synchronous, real-time classes, students and teachers reported better engagement and better learning."
The Westminster school district announced its plan to do full-time, in-person learning a few weeks ago. Nearby Douglas County announced a similar plan this week, and Jefferson County has also announced an in-person plan for elementary students, though middle school and high school plans are still to be determined. Aurora Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools, and Adams County have yet to make any decisions public.
What do you think? Are you a teacher or a parent? Do you agree with this decision? Do you think other districts will follow suit? Tell us in the comments!
