Jeffco Public Schools Announces Reopening Plan For All Grades

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Jeffco Public Schools announced Wednesday a plan for all grades to return to in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year. The plan includes "100 percent" in-person learning, five days a week, for grades PreK through 12, district officials said. All grades will also have the option of remote learning.

If a virus outbreak requires the closure of the district, individual schools, or specific groups of students, the district said it will be ready to serve students under the district's remote learning plan.

Don’t miss the latest news updates in Colorado. Sign up for free Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Other Jeffco Restart Plan details:

• Students will be grouped in cohorts during in-person learning.
• A meal service program will be available with a combination of in-school serving and a “grab & go” program. Students will eat in their classrooms or other designated areas to support social distancing.
• Bus transportation will be available for eligible students with new protocols, which include face coverings and the reduced capacity of riders.
• Volunteers, visitors and non-employees will not be allowed to enter the building during the school day.
• Guidelines to promote safe participation within all choice and elective programs — including visual arts, music, choir, band, orchestra, P.E., and theater — will be communicated before the start of school, district officials said.
• Schools will be developing their building schedules and logistical plans for pick up/drop off, symptom screening, building entry, transitions throughout the school day, lunch/recess schedules and other plans, which will be communicated to families before students arrive in August.
• Code of Conduct: Students enrolling for in-person learning are expected to adhere to all public health guidelines, protocols, and procedures; attendance at school will serve as agreement to these terms.

As staff and students return to the classroom, important safety protocols will be in place to limit exposure and transmission of COVID-19. Among them:

• At least 6 feet of social distancing will be practiced to the "fullest level possible," the district said.
• Staff and student face coverings are required when social distancing cannot be maintained with consideration for exceptions, if necessary, for the health and wellness of certain students or staff.
• Symptom screening.
• Student grouping limitations wherever possible.
• Regular hand washing.
• Shared items and school materials will be reduced.
• Increased building ventilation and fresh air mixture to the greatest extent possible.
• Use of common spaces — cafeteria, gymnasium, auditoriums — is prohibited for large and mixed-group use.
• Enhanced cleaning and decontamination of buildings and buses.

>> More details about the reopening of Jeffco Public Schools can be found here.