District 20 teacher shares hopes and concerns for spring semester

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Academy District 20 just released plans for high school and middle school students to return to hybrid learning come January 2021.

Just like the fall 2020 semester, students are not required to go to school in-person.

Aly Johnson, a business and marketing teacher at Air Academy High School, said she is more than ready to have her students back in the classroom. Her biggest concern is if they'll show.

"When we returned in the fall, we had this big excitement of 'our kids are coming back!'" said Johnson. "A lot of them came back in the beginning, but as the semester went on, it dwindled down to some of us having only one student in person.”

She's hoping this time around, students share in her enthusiasm to get back to the classroom.

"I miss them, and I want my old job back for sure," says Johnson. "My old job, where we get to giggle and learn in such a vibrant environment.”

Now that the El Paso County Health Department has scaled back quarantine guidelines for schools, District 20 leaders said they're confident they’ll be able to keep students in the classroom longer.

“Fourteen days is what they’re calling the gold standard, but they think for schools, 10 days of quarantine will be enough,” said Allison Cortez, Chief Communications Officer with Academy District 20.

Cortez says they've also added 20 more subs to their sub-pool who are willing to teach in person.

Even with these advances, District 20 leaders have made it clear that should COVID-19 infection rates rise in El Paso County, schools will have to regress back to online learning.

Though that's not ideal, Johnson said she's confident her class will make the best of it.

"The biggest feeling I've felt this semester is immense pride for how our students have stayed engaged," said Johnson. "We're all going to be okay because our students will be at the helm.

Cortez says as of now, District 20 has no plans to transition their high school or middle school students to a 100% in-person learning.