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I hope you had a great first week of the school year. I had a chance to check in on several schools, talked with many more educators, and was uplifted -- like I am at the start of every year -- by the scenes and stories of renewed connections. I’m so grateful for the willingness of our students, families, teachers and staff to find those moments of joyful learning and personal connection, despite the times of internet issues or log-in problems. It brings to mind that now more than ever, connections and relationships matter the most.

Our goal remains to return to as much in-person learning as is safely possible, guided by health information and medical expertise. To provide clear direction and give our community regular updates, Denver Health has built a dashboard for DPS of three health metrics identified by the Metro Denver Partnership for Health (MDPH) as the most critical to monitor for the Denver Metro Area. We want to make sure our entire community has a clear sense of the health conditions we’re tracking, and we’ve built a webpage to share the latest data directly from Denver Health, along with other readiness indicators specific to DPS (like school-readiness plans or having a month’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in stock). 

Visit our COVID Conditions & Readiness Indicator website to view the latest information.

Denver Health and DPS will continue to be in frequent contact to monitor three key health conditions throughout the school year:

To make it easy to see how conditions are changing from day to day, MDPH created a threshold for each metric, represented by a traffic stoplight. Based on the data, each graph will show a green light when at a lower, safer risk level; a yellow light when at a moderate and/or increasing risk level; or a red light when at a higher risk level. If any indicators are in yellow, DPS will continue to monitor the situation in consultation with Denver Health officials to ensure that any plans for a safe and gradual return to in-person learning continue to be grounded in health and safety. If any of these indicators moves to red, DPS will develop a plan with Denver Health officials for the next steps needed to keep our students and staff safe.

While the dashboard will keep us informed about ever-changing health conditions in our community, it does not directly determine which learning option our schools will offer (full remote, full in-person, or a mix of remote and in-person). DPS will make those decisions in close collaboration with Denver Health, other health officials, and our school leaders and teachers. We will base our decisions on the state guidance and the unique circumstances in DPS, including classroom size, student enrollment, and requirements for cohorting (keeping groups of students together). 

Planning for a Safe, Gradual Return to In-Person Learning 

Earlier this week, we announced that our early childhood education (ECE) classes will begin in-person learning in early September. We are so excited to begin welcoming our youngest learners into DPS classrooms! 

Based on our consultation with Denver Health on where the stoplight metrics are today, we believe that we can move forward with a gradual return of more students, particularly at the younger grades. We will be engaging with our school leaders and educators on what that might look like and potential timing of an earlier return for some students. Through our ongoing collaboration with our school leaders and teachers, we’ve heard from many educators and parents a strong desire to begin offering in-person school for all elementary grades. This is where the remote-learning challenges are the greatest, and we need to make sure we’re maximizing academic growth and whole-child support for our youngest learners, while following all health and safety guidelines. 

We anticipate being able to share more details on a gradual return to in-person learning for elementary grades (kindergarten through fifth grade) in the coming weeks. (Families whose students attend charter schools are asked to check with their schools on their plans for returning to in-person learning.)

I know we’re all eager to have our school buildings open and our classrooms buzzing again. We truly appreciate your continued patience and flexibility as we’ve worked together to ensure we’re using health and safety standards to guide all of our reopening decisions.

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful first week of the new school year. If you have questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Family and Community Helpline at 720-423-3054. 

As we look toward the upcoming election, The Denver Post is inviting students to submit their thoughts and ideas on the issues. Even if they aren't old enough to vote yet, students are encouraged to share what they want voters to be thinking about. Topics include:

Submissions can be made here through Sept. 11 and should be no longer than 400 words. Full names are required for publication, though contact information will not be made public or shared with advertisers. Pieces will run both online at denverpost.com and in The Denver Post’s printed opinion section.

Access past editions of Our DPS Weekly.