Two of southern Colorado’s largest school districts return to class this week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Summer doesn't officially end for another month or so, but it's technically over for school districts 11 and 20, the city's largest.
District 20 led the way by welcoming grades kindergarten through 6 and grade 9 Monday, with the remaining grades returning Tuesday; District 11 is on a similar schedule but starts Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Monday in District 11, school bus drivers checked out their vehicles and drove their routes before students are aboard; Scott Elementary School held an open house allowing families to see schedules, meet teachers and get reacquainted.
A renovated library and Ashlynn Smith, the new assistant superintendent, will be in place when classes resume.
Faculty and staff are hoping the new semester will be the closest they've had to a normal classroom atmosphere since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The most important thing is for parents to communicate with their teachers and let their teachers know if there's anything that can help teachers understand their students," Smith said. "Provide a little bit of grace for those positions that aren't filled. We're doing everything we possibly can to fill every position. We want to parents to understand that if a position isn't filled, we are doing what we can to support all of those students."
District 11 spokeswoman Devra Ashby said that 2% of teacher positions at elementary schools are unfilled, while 9% are unfilled in middle and high schools.
"Bus drivers, we're always looking for bus drivers, so that's nothing new," she said. "It's too soon to know whether enrollment will be up or down. Summer school was up this year, so that's hopefully a good sign."
Although the eve of back to school was hectic for everyone involved, Hannah Statezny -- a second-year teacher -- said that teachers started to gear up two weeks ago.
"ThIngs we're doing at home on the computer, whether we're taking courses for our own education, whether we're attending conferences to learn different strategies," she said.
Ashby said that the district's COVID restrictions are unchanged from spring: Students must stay home if they or a household member tests positive; and students must wear a mask for a week if they show no symptoms but a household member tests positive.
