Posted January 21, 2022
Process for Moving to Temporary Remote Learning
With the onset of COVID-19, Denver Public Schools, like school districts across the country, has experienced a depletion of our guest teacher pool, and a significantly higher-than-average absence rate for teachers and paras due to required quarantine and isolation periods. This has resulted in a deep shortfall of daily guest teachers and threatens the daily operations of schools if we are unable to secure coverage. When there is a staffing gap that cannot be addressed to provide safe in-person learning, temporary remote learning is considered a last resort.
Research continues to show that students’ social-emotional and mental health is best supported with in-person learning, and Denver Public Schools is committed to keeping schools safely open whenever possible.
If a school leader, who knows their school circumstances best, has exhausted all of the possible staffing options to be able to operate a classroom(s) or school building safely, a temporary move of a classroom or group of classrooms to remote learning can be considered. The recommendation to move to remote learning is school-based. This means school leaders can recommend what they believe to be best for their students and school after consultation with and approval from an Operational Superintendent (or Portfolio partner, for Zone schools). The Deputy Superintendent of Schools or Chief of Strategy and Portfolio will then confer with the Superintendent, who will grant final approval for any moves to temporary remote learning or operational closures. Please note that charter schools have the autonomy to determine if and when a classroom or school needs to move to remote learning in partnership and communication with the Portfolio office.
Priorities considered when making and/or approving a recommendation:
Every school has unique structures, staff, supports, and programming that must be taken into account when deciding whether to move to temporary remote learning. There is no formula that is used to determine when remote learning is appropriate; rather, each individual school is evaluated based on their unique circumstances, including number and percentage of staff absences, roles and licensure of absent staff, general school staffing models, and student enrollment and attendance.