This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters
Most of Colorado’s students now must learn from home — a stark contrast to just weeks earlier.
In November many school districts switched to entirely virtual learning. A Chalkbeat analysis of the 30 largest districts in the state shows 22 are now fully remote. Of the remaining eight that still provide some in-person instruction, only three offer it to students of all grade levels.
The Roaring Fork school district is one of those three districts. Officials there are pleading with the community to help lower COVID rates so that schools can continue to offer in-person instruction, while also preparing families for disruptions.
“As much as we value in-person learning, the only way we will be able to maintain it is if our whole community can take responsibility for reducing social gatherings and taking all of the precautions that limit the spread of the disease,” Rob Stein, Roaring Fork’s superintendent, wrote in the district’s Thanksgiving bulletin.
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He also described the district’s challenges and said some teachers are working “at an unsustainable pace.”
Some districts that are otherwise entirely remote, such as Jeffco and Poudre, are still opening some classroom spaces to students with disabilities or other vulnerable populations.
The 30 largest districts serve more than 83% of the students in Colorado’s public schools.