AURORA, Colo. – Most students in grades 1-8 will transition back to remote learning due to a concerning increase in the rate of COVID-19 infections within the city, Aurora Public Schools said in a letter to parents, teachers and staff Thursday evening.
The announcement from the district comes just three days after APS told thousands of parents their high school kids would have to continue learning remotely until at least mid-November due to the rising number of cases of the novel coronavirus being reported in Aurora.
The transition back to full remote learning for most students in grades 1-8 will start Monday, Oct. 26, the district said.
The decision was made during a special Board of Education meeting, district officials said, following a review of the latest data which found that APS was still below their internal criteria for implementing what they called social distancing learning – the hybrid model put in place on Oct. 12 for the second quarter of the 2020-2021 school year.
Students with specialized learning needs, including those in Pre-K and Kindergarten, students with special needs on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), newcomer students who are in the early stages of English language development, and career and technical education students at Pickens Technical College, will continue with in-person learning, according to the letter.
Transportation will be available for these groups as it was during the first quarter of the new school year, the district said.
APS said they would continue to evaluate evolving data and make their next decision on virtual, hybrid or in-person learning by Monday, Nov. 9.
If a determination is made to transition to a different learning model, high schoolers would start the new learning model on Nov. 16, while students in grades 1-8 would transition after the Thanksgiving holiday, the district said.
For information of free meals, social emotional support for students, school-time remote learning childcare and more, click here.
