Excerpted from “Roadmap to In-Person Learning”, distributed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ Office. You can download the full 11-page report here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created enormous instability and forced us to change nearly every aspect of our normal routines. This unpredictability coupled with the unprecedented sacrifices everyone has made during the pandemic has taken a significant toll on all Coloradans. This is particularly true for the education sector. Whether a student, parent, or educator, all have had to balance the anxiety that comes with ensuring care and education for our children on a consistent basis along with the safety of educators, staff, and students in the classroom and in school buildings.
Our education system serves as both an investment in our future and as an immediate lifeline and critical resource in our communities, including for Coloradans who rely on having their children in school for academic instruction, a nutritious meal, and so they can go to work each day. In addition, the education system is one of the most important determinants for Coloradans’ long-term health and welfare.
It is for these reasons we believe it is critically important for the health of our children, communities, and state that we create the conditions for students to return to in-person learning in school. Research has shown that when the right precautions are taken by parents, students, schools, and the community as a whole, schools are relatively low-risk environments for children and educators. We also know that the impacts to children and families are immense if we continue on our current path…
Families have been significantly impacted. Before COVID-19, 65% of children under six had all of their parents in the workforce. In homes where parents may work one or two jobs to make ends meet, many have had to choose between their livelihoods and staying home to support their children’s education. Because of the pandemic, women have left the labor force in record numbers, taking significant steps backward in the fight for gender equity in the workforce. Parents are spending thousands on child care assistance — often having to transition between providers because so many are struggling to stay open. This trend has a significant impact on parents working in the service sector, who often work nontraditional hours and struggle to find affordable child care…
Many educators and staff are frustrated and confused by changing health guidance and rules. Even though they know the benefits of in-person education for their students, they also worry about the risk to their own health and that of vulnerable household members. Many educators and staff have children of their own and are having difficulty navigating online education environments for their own children while also engaging in student instruction…
In order to return our children and youth to in-person learning, we must use data, science, and transparency to build trust with and among school districts, schools, parents, educators, and staff. Some parents, educators, and staff are frustrated by a lack of information about what disease transmission looks like in communities, whether such transmission is occurring outside or within a school, and the on-and-off nature of quarantine. Without adequate information, parents and communities are unable to make informed decisions about in-person learning, even while data suggests that children under the age of 14 are less likely to transmit the virus, and that early public health intervention limits both the size and duration of school outbreaks…
In response to the pandemic, the State has taken steps to protect students, educators, and staff while utilizing the best available science about disease transmission. These steps include developing a COVID-19 dial to provide tailored guidance to counties about how to balance social and economic activity with the restrictions needed for public health disease control. The dial’s color levels are based on the number of new cases, the percent positivity of COVID-19 tests, and the impact on hospitals, as well as local considerations…
The State, in consultation with the Back-to-School Working Group, has made the following recommendations and commitments for moving forward with safe, consistent school reopening this semester:
Trust and Transparency
Ensuring all of our students can return to in-person instruction is not just the responsibility of superintendents or local public health, it is the responsibility of parents and the community as a whole. Protecting in-person learning means creating a safe environment for educators and students, an accessible and transparent process for information sharing, and fostering accountability among all parties involved…
Prevention and Protection
Safety is a common value among families, educators, students, and school staff. Knowing we will never achieve a zero-risk environment, global data continues to demonstrate classrooms can operate relatively safely when several layers of precautionary measures are implemented. State data from the past four months also confirms the mitigating value multiple protections can have on lowering risk of transmission in the school setting…
Testing and Vaccines
In order to ensure that we can contain the spread of the virus in our communities, school districts and schools should have access to consistent testing for staff and students. This means staff having access to regular surveillance testing, and students and staff having the ability to access a test if they are symptomatic, have been exposed, or are in quarantine. In addition, we need to make sure educators and school staff have access to the vaccine as soon as possible…
Getting all students back to safe and consistent in-person learning is a top priority for the State of Colorado. We must continue to be informed by the lived experience and expertise of educators and school staff, as well as the emerging science on disease transmission…