Colorado Department of Education gives guidance to schools for reopening
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Department of Education came out with new guidelines for schools as districts and families weigh their options of returning to school in the fall.
The guidance is divided by Colorado’s COVID-19 reopening phase. For the state’s current Safer at Home designation, the CDE recommends continuing remote learning if it’s best for your community. However, the Department of Education claims students learn more in the way of social skills and personal development in a classroom setting. Katy Anthes began the presentation Monday. Anthes is the Education Commissioner for the Colorado Department of Education.
"“We know the the safe opening of schools is a critically important topic that touches all of our lives," Anthes said. "We really want to get our students back into schools safely where they are supported and active learners."
For districts that decide to reopen for in-person learning, the state recommends limiting the number of adults in kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms to four or fewer. For sixth through eighth-grades, the Colorado Department of Education recommends no more than three adults in each classroom per day.
There is no specific guideline for the number of students allowed in a classroom at one time, though the department suggests limiting it as much as possible.
The guidance claims it’s not necessary for elementary school students to stay six feet apart. However, students in middle and high school are recommended to social distance by six feet, adding that three feet of distance can be acceptable with the right context.
"COVID-19 doesn’t impact children the same way it does adults," Dr. Brian Erly, medical epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, said. "In the case of COVID-19, especially for children under age 10, kids tend to get infected less, they have less extreme symptoms, and are less likely to transmit the virus to others."
The Department of Education also spoke about cohorts. It’s the idea of keeping students in small groups so that if someone tests positive for the coronavirus, a small number of students and staff will need to quarantine and learn from home.
The department also recommends screening students for COVID-19 symptoms, frequent hand-washing, and wearing masks. Students 11 and older would be required to wear masks, while kids younger than that are encouraged to wear masks with adult supervision.
The CDE recommends schools accommodate special needs students as best as possible, either remotely or in-person, though it did specify how to effectively do that.
