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DENVER — From bus drivers to custodians, crucial positions in Colorado public schools are not being filled. Officials with Denver Public Schools say they can’t find anyone to do the jobs, and even when they do, they don’t stay for long. It’s lunchtime at Denver’s Newlon Elementary School, and kitchen manager Maria Gonzalez, dressed in her Halloween costume, and her overworked staff serve meals to 425 rambunctious students. “We need more people. We can make it happen, but we need people. It’s hard,” Gonzalez told Denver 7’s Tom Mustin. To read the full story, go to Denver7 Policies Report an Error Contact Us Submit a News Tip … [Read more...] about Colorado school districts struggle to find and keep employees amid low unemployment

Five schools in the Douglas County School District have or will shut down in-person learning after a string of COVID-19 outbreaks. Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch closed Wednesday, following more than five outbreaks, spokesperson Paula Hans said. Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment defines an outbreak as two or more cases within a two-week period that suggest the virus has spread within a single facility. Three other schools — Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Rocky Heights Middle School in Highlands Ranch and Sierra Middle School in Parker — closed Friday. Each had five outbreaks, Hans said. The schools transitioned all students to remote learning for 14 days, after which they’re expected to return to full-time in-person learning. Rock Canyon High School in Littleton will follow suit on Tuesday after the school saw more than five outbreaks, the district announced Friday. In-person classes will continue Monday for those students not in … [Read more...] about COVID outbreaks shut down in-person learning at 5 Douglas County schools

Bucking the trend in the Denver metro area, Cherry Creek School District will start its school year Aug. 17 with full-time and part-time in-person learning, depending on grade. Students in preschool through fifth grade will return for in-person instruction five days a week, the district announced Thursday. Sixth through 12th graders will adhere to a hybrid format, attending school in person two days a week and learning remotely three days a week. Remote education will be asynchronous, meaning classes will not be held live and students may work at their own pace to complete assignments. The district, Colorado’s fourth largest by enrollment, will offer a 100% virtual curriculum for families who do not feel comfortable sending their kids physically back to school. In a letter sent to Cherry Creek families, Superintendent Scott Siegfried pointed to “a sustained decrease in the number of COVID cases in Arapahoe County” over the last 10 days and other public health indicators as … [Read more...] about Cherry Creek schools to reopen Aug. 17 for in-person learning

Denver Public Schools unveiled three scheduling options for the fall on Friday, a set of plans that would dictate when students learn from home and when they learn in their classrooms. The largest school district in the state asked for parental feedback to inform leaders how to best serve families easing into the adjusted school year following the pandemic’s disruption to education across the country. “We know that the ideal scenario is that health conditions improve, and we are back in our buildings every day with all of our students,” DPS Superintendent Susana Cordova wrote in an email to parents. “These options are based on current health conditions and were developed in response to what we heard from you, that your top priority is health and wellness.” The options split students into “A” and “B” groups, rotating when the groups are in their school buildings as a way to reduce class sizes and better meet social-distancing guidelines. Option 1 has “A” group students … [Read more...] about Denver Public Schools unveils 3 plans to rotate students between in-class and online learning