Planning for a Safe Return to School

Dear Team DPS,

 

We’re now just about at the end of the regular school year, and I hope you and your loved ones are well. This last semester has been so full of changes and adjustments, challenges and anxieties, and lots and lots of resilience. Thank you for working with us through it all! I know it hasn’t been easy, and it’s been so uplifting to see our community come together, rally behind our kids and keep them connected to their teachers. I’ve seen lots of learning and growing, and support for our students and their families. Thank you!

 

Health standards

As we look to next school year, we’ve been keeping you regularly updated on the discussions of our educator-led Workgroup in planning for our return to school. Those conversations have been rooted in health and safety -- the most important priority in getting ready to welcome students and educators back to our buildings. We have collaborated with our partners at Denver Health and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment to create a set of health standards, based on current conditions, that serve as the foundation for the return-to-school planning. Click here to watch a video that explains those health standards. (We will continue to update the community as conditions change and health standards are adjusted.)

 

Return to School planning update for staff

This week, we held webinars with our principals and extended leadership team members, as well as some of our unions and advisory committees, to share information on our most current thinking about the return-to-school plans. We encourage you to view the webinar to learn more:

 

School-schedule scenarios for consideration 

Our educator-led Workgroup developed scheduling options with a mix of in-person and remote learning, and a strong focus on equity by providing additional in-person learning for students who need it most. That additional support for these priority students is a demonstration of our commitment to being an equity-led school district. Schools will begin prioritizing additional in-person learning for our students with disabilities and our students who are in the early parts of learning English. Schools will then work to prioritize as many additional student groups as possible for the extra day of in-person learning, including students who are not on track to graduate, students from historically underserved populations, and students from low-income households.

In the three schedule options below, all students have access to in-person learning at least 40% of the time. Each “A” and “B” group shown below generally includes about half of the school’s total enrollment, which will allow for the required social distancing.

We are presenting the details of the school-scheduling options here for you to consider, and asking you to complete a survey to provide feedback on the three possible scenarios, as well as information about your family circumstances. Please respond to the survey by June 12. I know this is the last work day of the school year for many of you, and I wish that we were able to get this to you sooner. We just wanted to be sure we took the time to work through all of the complex factors involved and present our best plans for next school year. Under our timeline, we expect to have a final decision on the Return to School plan in late June.

 

Here are the educator-led Workgroup’s three proposed scheduling options:

Option 1: 2-Day Block (AA/BB) Schedule for In-Person Learning. Students will have remote learning the remainder of the week. 

* The day that’s set aside for additional in-person learning for priority students may be switched to a different day of the week.

Option 2: Alternate-Day (AB/AB) Schedule for In-Person Learning. Students will have remote learning the remainder of the week.

* The day that’s set aside for additional in-person learning for priority students may be switched to a different day of the week.

Option 3: Full-Week Rotating (AAAA/BBBB) Schedule for In-Person Learning. Students will have remote learning alternating weeks.

 * The day that’s set aside for additional in-person learning for priority students may be switched to a different day of the week.

Options 1 and 2 are similar in that all students would attend school at least two days per week and receive remote instruction on the days in which they do not attend in person. And one day every week would be reserved for additional in-person learning for priority students.

In Option 3, all students would attend school four days every other week and receive remote instruction on the days in which they are not attending in person. And one day every week would be reserved for additional in-person learning for priority students.

In determining the “A” and “B” student groups for each scenario, siblings will be prioritized so that they can attend in-person learning on the same schedule.

Take the staff survey by June 12

Visit The Commons to take our staff survey , and please keep an eye out for additional surveys that may be necessary throughout the summer. We’ll be adding to our Frequently Asked Questions page, so please check there for ongoing updates as more information becomes available.

We know that the ideal scenario is that health conditions improve, and we are back in our buildings every day with all of our students. The options we are sharing with you now are based on current health conditions and were developed in response to what we heard from you, that your top priority is health and wellness. 

We look forward to getting your feedback in the staff survey by June 12 .

Thank you again for your help in finishing this school year strong. I look forward to your input over the next couple of weeks, and I’m very excited for a safe return to school in August. Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Warm regards,

Susana

Team DPS is extending gratitude and congratulations to our team members who are retiring this spring ! While we unfortunately weren't able to wish you farewell in person, we wanted to share a sincere "thank you" to all our retirees for your years of service and dedication to DPS -- and most importantly, to our kids. We all join your colleagues and students in wishing you all the best in what is ahead, and thank you for the difference you have made during your time with DPS. Thank you!

If you know a student who has borrowed a DPS Chromebook, iPad, hotspot or other DPS technology to use during remote learning, please share these important updates with them on what to do with their device this summer:

Returning these devices will minimize replacement costs and support other students who need access to technology. To return devices, please:

If students or families have questions about this process, please ask them to call 720-423-3163.

Access past editions of Our DPS Weekly .