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By spring break, all DPS employees will have had the chance to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine -- another powerful tool to reduce serious illness and fight the spread. As a result, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has updated its guidelines for fully vaccinated adults, and they no longer need to quarantine in the event of close contact with someone with a positive COVID test. 

We are pleased to announce that after spring break, we will be adjusting our guidelines for how many students and teachers can interact in a group (cohort). Making this shift lets us bring more middle and high school students back for in-person learning. 

Our health partners are clear: Increasing the number of students in a class cohort does not increase the risk of spreading COVID-19 as long as physical distancing and masking precautions are followed. Over the course of the past year, doctors and scientists have learned more about how effective health precautions are at preventing the spread of the virus. And our prior cohort sizes were smaller in order to minimize learning disruptions created by the need to quarantine students.

Under the updated guidance and advice of our health partners, our middle and high schools are using consistent seating charts and targeted contact identification. That means that only those students who spend 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of an affected individual would need to quarantine. And fully vaccinated adults don’t need to quarantine at all two weeks after receiving their second dose as long as they do not have COVID symptoms. This means that the risk of disruption for our students is much lower than it was earlier in the pandemic. And that, along with the clearer data showing just how effective masks and distancing are in preventing transmission, allows for larger cohorts and increases the ability of our middle and high schools to safely offer in-person learning for more students.

We are working closely with school leaders and educators to get clear about what these new guidelines will look like at individual schools. Your school will be able to share more information with you in the coming weeks. Some schools may be able to bring in all of their students for in-person learning right away, while other schools may still face limitations, due to staffing challenges or classroom sizes that don’t allow for the required 3 feet of distance between students, as health experts advise. Please note, your school will continue to provide remote instruction through the end of the school year for students in the virtual program.

As always, we continue to monitor COVID-19 conditions with our partners at Denver Health and will adjust plans based on their guidance. We will continue to keep you informed of what to expect as we get closer to spring break.

We are hopeful that we can go into the final months of this challenging school year with all of our middle and high schools operating at as close to full strength as possible. And while we don’t yet know what next year will look like, we’re hopeful that conditions in Denver will continue to improve and make "normal" school even more possible!

We know Transportation’s limited capacity as a result of COVID-19 has had an impact on many DPS families. Transportation has been working with the Board of Education, senior leadership and school leaders on ways to best support our students' learning by getting them to and from school safely. As a result, Transportation will be working with school leaders on bell time changes for next year in order to increase operational efficiency. Note: Not all schools will have significant bell time changes, and we will continue to communicate with families as we determine updated bell schedules. 

Thank you for your continued resilience through all the changes that have resulted from the pandemic. Please reach out to Transportation@dpsk12.org if you have any questions.

Are you looking for fun and engaging experiences for your student this summer? Would you like your child to create those timeless memories and friendships that make summer so special? It’s time to jump into summer with DPS and Extended Learning and Community Schools (ELCS) camps! Check out a video of kids enjoying our programs here.

ELCS will be providing incredible summer experiences for youth at a variety of locations around Denver. All camps will provide fun summer programming based on weekly themes such as Superhero Adventure, Mythical Creatures, DL’s Got Talent, Supersized Sports, Ooey Gooey Science and Space! For registration information, camp locations and themes, click here. Note: There are limited spots available, so register today!

Throughout March, we will be joining in local and national celebrations of Women’s History Month. We want to feature how our students are learning about, connecting with, interpreting and celebrating this cultural moment through their writing, artwork, music, photos and videos. We’ll share submissions on our website and social media channels at the end of the month. Please email your submissions to DPSEquity@dpsk12.org by March 19 for consideration.

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