St. Vrain Valley School District students won’t be heading back to school buildings later this month, but rather will attend classes remotely through the end of September.
The district announced the change to its reopening plan via an email sent to families Tuesday morning. Students in first grade through high school will start Aug. 18, and kindergartners will start on Aug. 20.
“Over the past few days, we have been in communication with the leadership of Boulder County Public Health and we have received additional information that has a significant impact on our plans for reopening our schools. To this end, we are updating our reopening plan to begin the school year in a fully online-learning model for all students, which will continue through the last week of September. At that time, we will re-evaluate the status of the coronavirus data, including the number of cases, positivity rate percentages, and more,” Superintendent Don Haddad announced in the email.
Among the reasons cited for the switch back to online learning for the start of the coming year were the Colorado Department of Health and Environment’s guidance on school reopenings released on Thursday, and the continuing upward trend of coronavirus cases across the country.
The state guidance includes “information that creates significant and nearly insurmountable disruptions and challenges to the safety and consistency in learning environments for families. Adherence to this guidance would undoubtedly result in ongoing and continuous potential classroom and school closures, as well as numerous individuals being subject to quarantine,” Haddad stated in the email.
Haddad also said the decision was driven by feedback from the community.
“... We have received numerous communications from parents, students, teachers, and staff expressing valid concerns regarding the safety and well-being of our community,” he stated in the email. “Given the significant shift in information and the unrest that exists at this time, we do not believe that an in-person learning model would be conducive to learning and/or physical and emotional well-being.”
School administrators will be following up with families next week, according to the email.
Families who are not planning to return to a hybrid in-person learning environment as soon as it is safe to do so, should enroll or remain enrolled in the LaunchED Virtual Academy, according to the district. The online program taught by St. Vrain Valley Schools’ teachers “will provide a continuity of learning in an online environment for families who want to keep their student home until a vaccine is available or there is a significant decrease in the spread of COVID-19,” Haddad stated in the email.
The deadline to enroll in LaunchED is Aug. 12. Learn more about the program here.
Online learning will include both live, real-time and flexible instruction, as well as independent student assignments and work, according to the email that also included links to grade-level information for preschool, elementary, middle and high school programs.
“Our fully online-learning model will be much more robust than students and families experienced when schools unexpectedly were required to discontinue in-person learning this spring,” Haddad stated in the email.
The district will provide iPads for all students, including those enrolled in LaunchED, according to the email. Charter school families were advised to contact their schools for information about technology access.
The district also will continue to operate community Wi-Fi hotspots and has developed additional resources for families who do not have internet access, according to the email.
Special education services will be provided during online learning, and case managers by Aug. 18 will set up phone calls with parents to discuss the logistics of doing so, according to the email.
English language learners also will continue to receive support, and drive-thru breakfast and lunch meal distribution will continue for all students. Meal distribution sites and schedules can be viewed here.
“School personnel will work to develop online options for students to engage socially with their peers and participate in clubs and other activities,” Haddad stated in the email. “Additionally, St. Vrain Valley Schools will continue to follow Colorado High School Activities Association guidelines for middle and high school athletics and provide as many opportunities as possible. The following sports have been approved for the fall: boys golf, girls softball, and boys tennis. Information regarding additional activities and athletic offerings will be forthcoming and shared directly by your student’s school administration.”
St. Vrain also will be opening Community Schools programs at all elementary schools to offer child care for students in kindergarten through fifth grades.
The district still intends to phase in a hybrid learning model with 50% in-person instruction as soon as officials believe it is safe and feasible to do so, and its ultimate goal is a return to full-time, in-person learning when it is deemed safe, according to the email. The move back to the hybrid model, which was the district’s initial plan for the start of the year, will be evaluated during the last week of September, according to the email. View the full reopening plan at coronavirus.svvsd.org.
Families with questions about reopening plan can contact their school principal, reach out to the district or ask questions and give feedback through an online form.
