AURORA, Colo. – High school students in Aurora will continue their education from the comfort of their own homes until at least Nov. 13, district officials said in a letter to parents, teachers and staff late Monday afternoon.
Students in Aurora were scheduled to return to in-person learning this week after the district’s Board of Education voted in late July to delay in-person learning for the first eight weeks of the new school year, but recently reviewed health data forced the district to make the decision to delay the start of in-person learning.
“Community transmission of COVID-19 continues to increase as high school students were set to return to in-person learning this week,” Auroar Public Schools Superintendent Rico Munn said in the letter. “Considering high school students have not yet started in-person learning, we have made the difficult decision to delay the start of in-person learning for high school students.”
The district said it plans to make a decision about the following 20-day session by Monday, Nov. 9. If transition to in-person learning is possible, Aurora highschoolers will return to the classroom on Monday, Nov. 16.
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“Please note that high school students who are currently learning in person because of their specialized learning needs will continue to be provided with those in-person learning opportunities. This includes students with special needs, newcomer students who are in early stages of English language development and Career & Technical education students at Pickens Technical College,” Munn wrote.
Under new CHSSA rules, off-season athletic workouts for high school students will be held as scheduled, and clubs and activities will continue to be provided remotely.
High school staff will also continue to work in-person from buildings on Mondays through Thursdays in order to prepare for a potential transition back to in-person learning, according to Munn.
Munn also said that while preschoolers through eighth graders have already begun in-person learning, the district is planning to make a decision by Thursday, Oct. 22, about whether students will need to transition back to fully remote learning.
Aurora's decision to keep high school students learning at home comes nearly a week after Denver Public School said their high students will not be returning to their classrooms until at least Nov. 9.
