Parents before Christmas can expect an update on whether St. Vrain Valley School District will return to in-person learning spring semester.
During Wednesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Don Haddad outlined a series of upcoming meetings in which he plans to gather information and data to help decide if it will be safe for students to return to schools in January.
Those meetings will begin today with the Teacher Advisory Council and will continue next week with the district safety team and Boulder County Public Health Executive Director Jeff Zayach.
Haddad said he expects to learn more about how the virus is trending in neighboring counties and that Zayach hopes to present data on whether or not there was a bump in case numbers after Thanksgiving.
Haddad on Tuesday will meet with the newly formed Parent Coronavirus Update and Advisory Committee, which is made up of more than 90 parents representing most of the schools in the district. The meeting is scheduled for 90 minutes, however, Haddad said he is willing to stay until all parents’ questions are answered.
“We will stay as long as we need to to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to share their thoughts and their opinion and ask whatever questions,” he said.
Haddad said he also will meet Tuesday with the teacher’s union to hear its members’ thoughts and concerns about reopening schools.
He said he hopes to be able to send information about the district’s reopening plans to parents around Dec. 21, and to teachers and staff in January. That communication also will include information on the district’s COVID dial implemented last month. The dial, a one-page document created in partnership with Boulder County Public Health, explains how quarantining works and includes links to allow parents to follow the research shared with the district by state and local public health agencies, Haddad said.
After returning to an online-only model following Thanksgiving break, SVVSD has continued to maintain its HVAC systems and has hired three new nurses and an epidemiologist who will work closely with Boulder County Public Health, he said.
With the hirings, “we’ve increased our ability to contact trace significantly,” Haddad said.
Starting In January, the district also will offer free COVID testing to students at its Innovation Center. Testing at the site currently is only available to staff.
Haddad said that he is eager to get students back into schools as soon as he can but only when it is safe to do so.
“I am always hopeful because we are seeing positive trends,” he said.
For more district COVID information, including remote learning plans by grade, the Innovation Center testing site and health and safety measures, and to view the SVVSD coronavirus dashboard, click here.
