Schools

Area charter schools are planning to offer fully in-person learning as well as hybrid at-school and online approaches to start the school year.

The district on Tuesday announced that it will start the year fully online in response to a rising number of coronavirus cases across the country as well as because of logistical problems posed by state health department guidance.

For all sports, the new plan for the 2020-21 school year, outlined by the Colorado High School Athletics Association, calls for four abridged seasons instead of the usual three.

"Parents and other guardians need to talk with their children about why they need to wear a mask, using age-appropriate terms."

The annual run, which raises money for grants to teachers looking to innovate and support students with special needs, is going virtual in response to the coronavirus. The deadline to register is noon Wednesday.

The effort by Gary Community Investments is to ensure classes will open on time and stay open even as the COVID-19 threat continues, said CEO Mike Johnston. 

District assurances still aren’t quelling the dread many teachers and school staff members are feeling as the new school year approaches, said Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, a Longmont City Council member who will teach third grade this year at Indian Peaks Elementary.

In outdoor ceremonies held simultaneously at 9 a.m. at high school fields throughout the district, grads got their diplomas and to the applause of much smaller crowds than those of ceremonies prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

“With the hybrid model we have a series of things to mitigate risk,” Superintendent Don Haddad said. “We know we will never fully mitigate 100% of all risk.”

The Center for Integrated Manufacturing is the only college facility in the state with four advanced manufacturing programs under one roof, according to FRCC officials.