D70 will start school year out of the classroom
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- While School Districts like D60 and D20 make plans to bring students back to the classroom, District 70 in Pueblo County will start the school year from home.
On Tuesday the D70 School Board decided the 2020-21 school year will begin in a remote learning setting. According to the newly adopted policy, if COVID-19 case numbers decrease, they will then transition to a hybrid school system. However, if case numbers rise again after that, the policy allows for the schools to remain flexible and revert back to remote learning.
“We want our kids in school, but we don’t want them to be used as guinea pigs,” said D70 Superintendent Ed Smith. “The board wanted something scientific to go by, to look at the number of cases in our community. We want to try and protect the students, the staff, and our entire community.”
The decision comes at a time where COVID-19 numbers are rising in Pueblo County -- 84 new cases were reported in a two-week span during the month of July, and 22 new cases on Monday.
“We would love to have them back, but it has to be safe and we have to be mindful,” said District 70 Board Member Debbie Houghton.
District officials surveyed households and parents on their thoughts of whether or not students should return to the classrooms before coming to this decision. They say results were mixed.
“It varied differently with different grade levels," said Houghton. "But that was just one thing we had to look at. This is how we felt comfortable moving forward staying true to our district, community, our parents, and staff.”
Certain special-needs students will still be allowed to have time with an educator in person. When the Board decides to transition to an in-person setting or a full classroom setting parents will still have the option to keep their students at home if they chose to do so.
The policy and case numbers will be reviewed by the D70 school board at a meeting in September. D70's 2020-21 school year is set to begin on August 24th.
As for Pueblo School District 60, they are moving forward with plans to open back up the classrooms this upcoming school year. Their plan to reopen will be presented to the D60 school board on Thursday.
