The delay will provide staff with additional non-contact days to participate in professional development and prepare for a return to learning. BVSD has adopted a phased approach for reopening schools, called the “Five Phase Plan.”
Boulder Valley School District will delay the start of the school year by one week. During a school board meeting on Tuesday afternoon, members voted to approve a resolution in support of the superintendent’s recommendation to move the school start date from Aug. 19 to Aug. 26.
Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson said the district anticipates reopening in Phase 3, which includes a mix of in-person and online learning. Dr. Anderson said there is no perfect plan for reopening schools, and students and families should be prepared for possible changes depending on the spread of the virus.
“Phase five in our plan is 100% back to normal with no health precautions. We don’t believe we’ll be in phase five, we know we won’t be in phase five. So somewhere in-between there is where we’re going to be. So phase one, all online, phase four, 100% of students that elect to come back in person, with health precautions in place,” said Rob Price, BVSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Operational Services.
BVSD is working on a partnership with Gary Community Investments Company to provide bi-weekly COVID-19 tests for school staff through COVIDCheck Colorado. In addition to contracting cleaning services to disinfect schools, the district is also looking at pulling bus drivers and other services workers to help.
Boulder County Public Health reports more than 1,600 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.
BVSD has a list of commonly asked questions about their reintroduction plan posted here.
