Mayor Michael Hancock and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment just released a public health order this morning that includes new requirements on COVID-19 vaccinations. The health order applies to all city employees and employees working in certain designated industries such as schools, child care, hospitals, and many more. This includes both public and private education agencies. It calls for all personnel in these fields to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30. The vaccine requirement applies to all DPS employees, all charter school employees, contractors, and community members who volunteer in schools. There will be exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Read more.

We are very excited to be planning for a return to full-time in-person learning in the fall. This means students would be able to attend school in person at their assigned school every day for the 2021-22 school year. Learn more in Our DPS Weekly and visit the In-person Learning and Remote Learning Program sites for more information.

We have finalized the details of a partnership with Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) that will allow us to offer vaccinations to all of our roughly 18,000 DPS employees and charter school staff members. We will prioritize team members who are frontline staff working with our students every day, in collaboration with union leadership. Read the entire announcement here.

Read this update from Interim Supt. Dwight Jones with Health and Safety Reminders for Returning Middle and High Schoolers and What to Expect for Middle and High School Schedules. 

• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine -- Superintendent Memo to All Staff, Jan. 5
• Vaccine Update for DPS Team Members -- Our DPS Weekly, Jan. 7
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccines for DPS Team Members -- Teacher Weekly, Jan. 13
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations -- Team DPS Weekly, Jan. 14
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations for DPS Team Members -- Our DPS Weekly, Jan. 14

Click here to read more about the timeline for the start of the second semester, if health conditions allow.

In response to the Governor’s new public health order and in preparation for the spring semester, DPS is taking a new approach to employee requests for COVID-19 accommodations. We hope these changes will more effectively balance the needs of our employees while meeting the operational needs of schools and facilities to better serve our students and community members. Read the memo from Human Resources to learn more. 

• COVID-19 rates have been rising significantly in our community over the past several weeks.
• The high and increasing community spread of the virus is causing frequent disruptions to in-person learning and creating severe staffing shortages due to quarantines. We are close to reaching our breaking point and may find ourselves unable to both staff our classrooms as well as support the dual imperatives of following all of the contact tracing and quarantining that is so critical to health and safety, as well as focus on the academic and social-emotional needs of our students.
• We are going to do everything we can to continue offering in-person learning for ECE-2nd grade and our center programs beyond next week. However, if we don't see any improvement in the community spread of COVID outside of school, we are not likely going to be able to sustain the staffing needed for in-person learning after the Thanksgiving break.
• We need the community to help us by adhering to the public-health orders.

Read more here.

After reviewing the data -- both in Denver County and specific to DPS -- with our trusted advisors at Denver Health, we will continue to support our ECE through second-graders with in-person learning, as well as our students in center-based programs. Our third- through 12th-graders will remain remote. Families whose students attend a charter school should check with their own school for their plan.

Read the entire memo here. 

Click here to read about adjustments to scale back in-person instruction in response to the rising COVID cases but still keep our elementary schools open for our youngest learners.

Click here to access the audio recording from the DPS staff Tele Town Halls on Oct. 15.

In light changing conditions, here are some updates and decisions based on the latest guidance we’ve received from our health partners:

• Elementary schools will open as planned to all grades next week.
• Middle and high schools will not open for in-person and will continue in remote learning for most students for at least three weeks into the second quarter, through Friday, Nov. 6.
• Secondary special-education center programs, newcomer centers, and remote learning centers are an exception and will open for in-person at the start of the second quarter.

Read the entire update from Supt. Cordova here.

As we move toward the start of the second quarter (which is Wednesday, Oct. 21 for most schools), we continue to prioritize health and safety and to stay in close partnership with our experts at Denver Health. Dr. Bill Burman provides regular updates on health conditions in our community and how they relate to our plans for a safe and gradual return to in-person school. Click here to watch Dr. Burman’s most recent update, and click here for our COVID Conditions website.

Read the entire update from Supt. Cordova here.

Please watch this video with Dr. Bill Burman, Director of Public Health for Denver Health and Medical Officer for the City and County of Denver. Dr. Burman has shared that the increase in COVID in Denver is almost entirely attributable to increases at colleges and universities in Denver. Based on this, click here for more information on where we are with our return-to-school plans.

Click here to read the whole memo, with information on: 

• Deadline for middle and high school families to select in-person or virtual learning option is now Wednesday, Sept. 23
• Middle and high school in-person learning details
• Virtual Program details
• During in-person schooling, keeping communities notified of potential impacts of positive COVID cases

Kindergarten and first-grade students, and students in primary special education centers (grades K-2), will be the next groups to return to in-person learning. Learn more here. 

We want to make sure our entire community has a clear sense of the health conditions we’re tracking, and we’ve built a webpage to share the latest data directly from Denver Health. Read the entire update here.

We feel ready and confident in planning a slow, gradual return to in-person learning starting with ECE. This phased approach will begin with a Sept. 8 return for students at our ECE centers and a Sept. 14 return for all other ECE programs. Click here to read the entire announcement from Supt. Cordova. 

With all of us having to adjust to so much that’s different at back-to-school time this year, we’d like to share some reminders and resources to help you feel ready for the start of school.

Last week, Superintendent Susana Cordova shared health guidance and protocols for those who choose to return to their school or office site. As a reminder, at this time no one is required to report to their school or office unless explicitly directed by their supervisor. Read more about these health guidelines and review The DPS 5 for an at-a-glance reference.

Also, as an update, we ask that team members please do not congregate in communal spaces, including faculty lounges or break rooms – however, you will have access to the kitchenette area, refrigerator and microwave. Please use sanitizing wipes on appliances before and after use, and it is recommended that you use paper towels to open refrigerator and microwave doors. Thank you for your support in keeping Team DPS safe!

While we continue to encourage remote work as we start the school year with remote learning, we realize there may be some staff members who would like to work individually from their classroom and our school buildings. Please know that at this time no one is required to report to their school or office unless explicitly directed by their supervisor; however, for those who choose to return to their school or office site, we want to make sure we’ve shared the latest health guidance to protect all team members. Click here to learn more.

DPS is partnering with Denver-based Gary Community Investments to provide access to free COVID-19 testing and support to all of Team DPS as we work to safely and gradually welcome all students back into schools, when health conditions allow. Click here to read the memo from Supt. Cordova with details. 

Update: Click here to access more information and an FAQ about COVID testing for employees.

DPS will continue to pay employees who are on work year calendars with a defined number of days. Pay will be in accordance with scheduled hours, through Oct. 16. DPS has extended child care programs for remote learning support for school-based staff. Read this memo for more information.

Read this update from Supt. Cordova to learn more about how DPS will extend 100% remote instruction from the start of school on Aug. 24 through Oct. 16, which is the end of the first quarter of the school year for many schools. We’ll be working hard to safely and gradually welcome all students back into schools, when health conditions allow. In addition, based on the recommendations of our educator-led Return-to-School Workgroup, we’ll be working toward bringing back small groups of students identified as high priority for in-person learning as soon as Sept. 8. We are considering bringing ECE students and other high-priority students back first. We will share more details with you soon about how that will work.

Click here to read more about our plans for familiies who choose the 100% remote option this fall, including delivery and staffing plans, cirriculum, courses and commitment detail.s 

Based on new data and guidance, we believe it is prudent to delay returning to school in person. DPS will begin the 2020-21 school year with remote learning, with a delayed first day of remote school on Aug. 24 to allow our teachers time to welcome students back remotely. Read this memo from Supt. Cordova for more details. 

Supt. Cordova shares an update on our plans for returning to school, addressing COVID in Colorado and across the nation, and how we are considering a "staggered start" schedule and pushing back the day school starts for students to Aug. 24.

Human Resources is accepting accommodation requests from employees living in the same household as a vulnerable individual or employees with childcare responsibilities, in addition to vulnerable individuals and individuals with disabilities.

Click here for the full memo from Human Resources regarding updates to the COVID-19 Accommodations Request process. 

Click here to read about submitting an accommodations request form for Vulnerable Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities. 

NOTE: An updated memo was sent July 9. See here. 

Over the last several weeks, we have been planning for next school year by working with teachers, leaders and health experts. This week, the Metro Denver Health Partnership, a coalition of local health departments, released new guidance on reopening schools that emphasizes the critical whole-child support that schools provide to the community and provides emerging science-based data of the limited transmission risks from students in the school setting. 

Based on this new, updated guidance from our health experts, I am pleased to announce to all staff that in addition to a 100% online option for students, we are now working toward opening all schools for full, in-person instruction in August instead of a hybrid model. 

Read more about this decision in this all-staff memo from Superintendent Cordova.

Click here to read an update on DPS' plans for a safe return to school in Susana Cordova's weekly letter to Team DPS. 

Click here to read about the health standards being taken into consideration as our Return to School Workgroup developed scenarios for the fall. Read more about the sceniors then share your feedback by completing the staff survey by June 12.

Under the safer-at-home order, DPS will work within the order while following CDPHE and other local health department guidance. We will continue remote learning through the end of 2019-20 and will not resume in-person learning this school year. (Emily Griffith Technical College staff are asked to check with their supervisor for work guidance, as EGTC operates under a different academic calendar.) 

Additionally, DPS will continue to maximize working from home for roles that can be done remotely. Read the entire memo here.

Read this update on what we know about the budget forecast and how to share your input. Plus, learn about the new Budget Advisory Committee. 

Read the entire memo for information on the current stay-at-home orders and when you can expect more information from DPS about the immediate future of our work situations. 

To supplement the April 3 pay guidance, we wanted to share an update for hourly DPS employees who do not have defined work days, who have not been scheduled to work, or who do not have a fixed schedule.

Based on feedback we’ve received, we’ve made some adjustments to our grading policy for remote learning. Those details are shared in a message from DPS Deputy Superintendent of Academics Tamara Acevedo.

Read this memo for answers to questions we have heard about work expectations, paid leave options, pay incentives, face masks and for details on whom to contact with additional questions.

Read the entire memo with clarification and pay guidance in light of Governor Polis’ April 1 order extending remote learning through April 30, and the district’s decision to continue remote learning through the end of the 2019-20 school year.

With the health and safety of our students and team members at the heart of this decision, DPS leadership has made the decision to continue remote learning for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. This means our schools will not reopen this school year for in-person classes. Read the entire announcement from Supt. Cordova. 

Read the full memo from HR about work expectations, DPS' critical services designation and pay guidance for April 6-17.

Plus, DPS playgrounds and athletic fields are closed.

In accordance with the Department of Labor, employees are eligible for paid sick leave and FMLA as outlined in the Families First Coronavirus Act. For questions, please contact HR Connect  at 720-423-3900 or Connect_HumanResources@dpsk12.org . 

DPS will not host in-person DPS classes until at least Monday, April 20. Instead, we will move to support remote learning. We had anticipated that this might happen, so over the course of the past weeks, our leadership team has been working on remote-learning plans, which will begin on Tuesday, April 7 – the first day of scheduled instruction following our spring break. We are finalizing a series of webinars and trainings that will provide support to our school teams for this change, so please look for more information about this over the next few days. Read the full announcement here.

Read this memo from HR with guidance and pay information during the extended break.

The message from our health experts is clear: Social distancing will limit the spread of the virus, and it will save lives. Read the full memo on how DPS is responding to this information.

All team members should carefully review this staff guidance for the extended spring break.

Extended spring break for students will start Monday, March 16, and continue through Monday, April 6. This decision was made after detailed and thorough discussions with our Board of Education, the City of Denver, Denver Department of Public Health, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and other organizations around the city and state in response to growing concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19). Read the full announcement.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, there are no DPS students or staff who have tested positive for COVID-19. For the latest information on the status of DPS schools, travel and facilities, read the entire update here.

There are rapidly changing conditions here in Colorado as well as across the nation related to the spread of COVID-19. Because of this, we are canceling until further notice all district-sponsored international and out-of-state travel for all students and staff. This was a very difficult decision, and the overriding priority – as always – was the health and safety of our students and staff.

For more details on reporting concerns and information with our health staff, keeping our facilities clean and safe, our commitment to being a safe and welcoming district, and protecting those who may be immunocompromised or have a aeakened immune system, read the full announcement.

As we stay in close contact with our city and state health experts about the increasing number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our state, we wanted to provide updated information to our community. There are currently 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Colorado. We currently have no DPS students or staff who have confirmed cases of the virus. Read the entire update here. 

On March 5, Gov. Jared Polis and state health officials announced that there are now two confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Colorado. We continue to be in close contact with city and state health officials and to follow their guidance. The safety of our students and staff is the most important thing we consider. All of our schools and district offices will continue operating on a normal schedule. Click here to read the entire update.

We are taking this issue very seriously and are monitoring updates from city and state health departments regarding the outbreak. We are also staying in close contact with schools to check on the health of students and staff. Crews are also regularly and thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting school buildings. Click here to read the entire memo.