Springs Times

Academy District 20 issued the following announcement on Nov. 13.

• 3,463 students and 823 staff are in quarantine or isolation.
• No less than 15 of our schools are unable to provide in-person learning due to these quarantines.
• Some schools are serving a second or third transition to eLearning. 

Most of today was spent in meetings evaluating our current situation. After hearing from principals, it is clear this path is untenable. This is not because our schools are a significant source of transmission. In fact, we are doing everything we can: consistently wearing masks, social distancing and washing our hands. Unfortunately, the high rate of positive cases in our community results in large-scale quarantines and isolations which then impacts our ability to staff schools.

I am forced to make the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. We must find a sustainable path forward. As such, the following changes must be made. 

Middle & High Schools

On Monday, Nov. 16, our secondary (middle and high school) students will transition to eLearning through at least the end of the first semester. The eLearning schedule will follow the synchronous model already in place.  Students will participate remotely with certain exceptions for students with identified special needs. Secondary school principals will be communicating additional details for each school.   

Elementary School

On Monday Nov. 16, no later than 4 p.m., we will make an announcement regarding elementary education. Students should still plan to attend in-person learning next week unless the school is already in a remote learning mode.

This is not an easy decision. As I have often said, we strive to provide in-person instruction. However, with so many of our teachers and staff in quarantine and a shortage of substitute teachers available, sufficient staff is not available to provide in-person instruction.

In just the past five days, the incident rate per 100K cases in El Paso County has skyrocketed to 801, creating a 13% percent positivity rate. Our schools feel the impact of this increase. Just yesterday, our COVID Response Team processed more than 35 individual investigations.

Waking up each morning, being unsure if you will quickly be sent home to quarantine for 14 days is taking a mental, emotional and physical toll on our students, staff and families.

Moving to eLearning will provide students and teachers consistency in their education, while our community works together to change the trajectory of the COVID-19 impacts being felt by our businesses, organizations and families. We will be able to consider in-person learning when the community is able to reasonably control transmission.

In the coming days, families of middle school and high school students will receive information from their schools about the next steps and expectations. Again, we will provide information to our elementary families on Monday.

Be safe and be well. 

Original source can be found here.