Colorado Charter School Institute
1600 N Broadway, Ste. 1250, Denver, CO 80202
303-866-3299 | www.csi.state.co.us
COVID-19: Updates & Guidance
March 12, 2021
 
Dear School Leaders,
 
The next School Leader Update Call will take place on Monday, April 12 at 1:00pm. Call-in information will remain the same as it has been. Contact Amanda Oberg with questions.

This newsletter includes information on:
  • Remote Learning Options for the 2021-2022 School Year
  • BinaxNow COVID-19 At School Testing Program
  • Public Health Guidance on Graduation and Spring School Events
  • CDC Fully Vaccinated Guidance
  • COVID-19 Waivers, Free School Meals Extended to September 30
Remote Learning Options for the 2021-2022 School Year
CDE recently sent out the following update:

CDE is developing guidance to extend flexibilities for brick-and-mortar schools to offer remote virtual learning opportunities for students next school year in response to public health and safety measures associated with COVID-19. This guidance is still being finalized. In the meantime, here are the key points to help schools and districts begin planning.

Schools/districts that want to offer both online remote learning and in-school learning, will be able to leverage this flexibility only if it's in response to public health and safety measures associated with COVID-19.
Flexibilities can be used for the following circumstances:
  • 100% remote learning - May be implemented by the district/school for families who do not want their student(s) to receive in-person learning for the duration of a term.
  • Hybrid learning - This option refers to traditional educational settings that are implementing a combination of both in-person and remote learning.
  • Temporary remote learning - Short term instances when students are quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure/illness, or shift to 100% remote learning as a result of an executive/public health order, or other types of locally-determined precautions related to COVID-19.

To use these flexibilities, schools/districts must ensure that a portion of all remote classes provide some synchronous learning experiences and that students have access to live teacher/instructional support every instructional day of the school calendar. Asynchronous tools/resources, including CDLS courses, can still be used but synchronous learning experiences and live teacher/instructional support must be part of the plan as well.
Finally, schools/districts must ensure they are adopting appropriate policies - and maintaining proper record keeping aligned to those policies - to meet October Count funding requirements.

Final guidance will be comprehensive and will outline requirements for schools.

Note: This interim guidance is applicable to students in grades K-12. Guidance related to Pre-K students and remote learning is under development.
BinaxNOW COVID-19 At School Testing Program
Starting March 1, Colorado is distributing free BinaxNOW COVID-19 Rapid Antigen tests to all schools in Colorado that are participating in the School Mask Program, for use in schools for students. Testing through the Binax At-School Program can be conducted on those students who are symptomatic, have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, or administered on a continuous basis for screening of asymptomatic students. The State has acquired a CLIA waiver under which all PK-12 schools in Colorado can use this test.

Binax At-School COVID-19 Testing Resources:
Public Health Guidance on Graduation and Spring School Events
Local Public Health Agencies are beginning to provide guidance to schools on holding graduation ceremonies and other school events, like prom, during the coming months. Please reach out to your local public health agency as you plan for these and similar events for local guidance. 
CDC Fully Vaccinated Guidance
  • People are considered fully vaccinated:
  • 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
  • After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.
  • If you’ve been fully vaccinated:
  • You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
  • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • If you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.
  • You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
  • You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.
COVID-19 Waivers, Free School Meals Extended to September 30
The U.S. Agriculture Secretary announced the extension of key COVID-19 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) waivers through September 30, 2021. Read more here and contact Ilene Agustin with questions.
Continue to check the CSI Coronavirus Updates webpage.
Please contact Michael McManus with any health-related questions. 
Please contact CSI Communications with any communication- or closure-related updates.