COLORADO, USA — All schools in Colorado are closed through at least mid-April as part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has been rapidly spreading since the first case was reported in Colorado on March 5.
The disease is caused by a new strain of the coronavirus which first appeared in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
Schools are closed statewide in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Many were on spring break and will begin remote learning in earnest this week, and it could continue for the remainder of the school year, according to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Below are the plans for many districts.
Aurora Public School District
Schools within the district will begin remote learning on March 31. Most of the interaction between teachers and students will happen online through Google Classroom.
Families who needed to check out a laptop were able to do so at all school sites on March 25, 26 and 27.
They developed a specific website that provides all of the information for remote learning. You can find it here.
The APS Help Desk is open to all families and staff for technical support on weekdays starting on Monday, March 30. If you need assistance, please email helpdesk@aurorak12.org from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Boulder Valley School District
The school district will transition to remote learning on Monday, March 30.
As part of the plan, families will be provided with a menu of home learning activities (hard copies are available for those who need them) and are asked to complete four activities a day with their child(ren).
Children will be given an opportunity each week for a whole class video or phone conference either by a telephone conference, Google Hangout or Schoology Conference.
Teachers will monitor students' ability to participate, but students won't be penalized if they're unable to take part.
Cherry Creek School District
The Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) will begin remote learning for all students on Monday, March 30.
"Our goal is to ensure that lessons are reasonable and meaningful so that students can remain engaged and learning can continue during this time," the district said.
As part of their planning, CCSD said they were considering ways to ensure that all students have access to technology and internet service in their homes.
- The first lesson of the week from each course or content area will be emailed/posted to students/parents by 2 p.m. on Monday of each week.
- Students will be allowed to submit assignments for review through a variety of formats. (Schoology, Google Classroom, PDF and JPG, emailed attachments, pictures of their handwritten work, etc.)
Denver Public School District
The state's largest school district is set to begin remote learning on April 7.
DPS said they'll continue student learning through three remote learning options which include:
- District-provided instruction materials with teacher support.
- Teacher-led hybrid instruction.
- Teacher-led full digital instruction.
The first option is recommended for schools and teachers who are less proficient in delivering instruction through a remote environment, the second is for those with a little more proficiency. The final option is recommended for MyTech Schools, 1:1 Schools, and teachers who are proficient with an online instruction environment.
Families had until noon on March 24 to complete a technology survey so that Denver Public School District (DPS) officials could determine what resources students have available in their homes.
They started distributing laptops and other technology to students beginning on March 25. The district noted that the "stay-at-home" order for Denver does allow for families to go to schools to pick up those items.
Douglas County School District
Remote learning for students in Douglas County began the week of March 23. As part of the program, teachers will be in touch with students each day to provide assignments. Students can complete them at a time that is convenient and are not expected to be online for a full school day.
Jefferson County Public Schools
Jeffco Public Schools initiated its remote learning and work plan on March 16 and will continue with it through at least April 17.
There will be a one-week hiatus for the district’s spring break scheduled for March 23 - 27.
Westminster Public School District
The district began offering extended learning programs during the week of March 16 and distributed 5,000 Chromebooks to students to ensure that students are able to learn while schools are closed. They're also working with families to make sure they have internet access.
Teachers are creating customized learning content and “playlists” for students through the EMPOWER content management system. EMPOWER has been used in the district for many years to keep teachers, students and parents connected.
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