A Joint Statement from the Steamboat Springs School District (including North Routt Community Charter School), Steamboat Montessori, and Steamboat Mountain School K-12 |
|
Between our four school systems, we proudly serve the majority of PK-12 students in the town of Steamboat Springs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have stayed in close contact about health and safety measures to keep students and our entire community safe. As we anticipate the start of a new school year, we have been meeting, together with local public health officials, to understand current conditions. We have watched as school districts in Colorado and around the nation navigate the challenges of ambiguous and quickly changing public health orders.
In our discussions with our local public health officials this week, they made it clear that while a public health order by either the State or Routt County Board of Health is not expected, they strongly encourage mask wearing in school. Therefore, we all will begin the school year requiring masks to be worn indoors by all students, staff and visitors. At this time, we are not requiring masks for outdoor activities and events. It is our intention to continue working together with Routt County Public Health throughout the school year to monitor the pandemic and make any necessary changes to our mitigation plans. Below is a statement issued from Roberta Smith and Dr. Harrington.
|
|
The primary goal of the Routt County Public Health Department for the 2021-2022 school year is to keep students in school for in-person learning. Community COVID-19 prevention efforts must continue to prevent transmission, serious illness, and deaths. Our community, along with most of Colorado, is seeing COVID-19 cases surge due to the COVID-19 Delta variant. Routt County Public Health always has, and continues, to recommend mask wearing as a proven effective way to prevent COVID 19 transmission and protect Routt County citizens, young and old.
The Routt County Public Health Department has encouraged each school district in the county to consider the recommendations by CDPHE, CDC, and the AAP, to incorporate as many COVID prevention measures as possible, and to conduct their own risk assessment based on how learning occurs in the classroom and the appropriate mitigation strategies which can take place. New data provided by CDPHE this week ( 8/18/2021) show rising case counts in our Colorado pediatric population and concern for exceeding our state pediatric intensive care (PICU) bed capacity. In addition, there is a rise in the number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases statewide that is also putting pressure on hospital PICU capacity. We are also seeing data today (8/18/2021) from Southern states where school openings have quickly led to a return to remote learning due to rising cases and outbreaks of COVID-19 among school populations. The Routt County Public Health Department strongly endorses the combined Steamboat Springs schools’ decision to require all students and staff to wear a mask indoors to maintain in- person learning. With certain exceptions, universal outdoor masking is not required per CDPHE, CDC and AAP guidelines.
In addition to universal mask wearing, the Routt County Public Health Department encourages the use of several other tools that are available to protect students, staff and the community while keeping students in school:
- Those who can be vaccinated, should get their COVID-19 vaccine.
- Schools are encouraged to enroll in COVID-19 surveillance screening programs
- Students who are not feeling well or have symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home from school.
- Washing hands frequently.
- Use of engineering controls and social distancing to minimize indoor spread of COVID-19.
|
|
Ms. Smith and Dr. Harrington share our school systems’ concerns that foregoing masks could result in more positive cases for students—essentially more missed classroom time. That’s simply unacceptable given the past 18 months. We must do everything we can to ensure students and staff can be in school, in-person, every day this year.
Given that we cannot view the PK-12 population in Steamboat in isolation—our students live together, work together, play together, and compete together—all four of our school systems will require masks with the start of the school year for all children and adults (including visitors). We will continue to work together, and in concert with public health, to adapt to evolving circumstances and make changes based on Routt County Public Health, CDC and AAP recommendations.
Returning to masks is not what any of us had hoped for, however at this time it is what is necessary to ensure the health and safety of our school communities and limit the interruption of student learning.
Sincerely,
Samantha Coyne Donnel, Head of School, Steamboat Mountain School K-12
Michael Girodo, Head of School, Steamboat Montessori
Brandon LaChance, Executive Director, North Routt Community Charter School
Dr. Brad Meeks, SSSD Superintendent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
