UPDATE: Westminster Public Schools announced Saturday, Nov. 14 that students will be learning online from Nov. 16 through winter break.

ORIGINAL STORY:

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — There is concern among some parents in the Westminster Public School District. On Monday, the district will return to in-person learning.

The district had shifted to “remote learning” due to increasing COVID cases in Adams County.

The Westminster School District is one of the few school districts that has decided to welcome kids on campus despite rising COVID numbers. 

Westminster began remote learning two weeks ago. 

The district said the decision to keep students home was made after consulting with Tri County Health.

Back then, Superintendent Pamela Swanson, in a District YouTube video, said, “These next two weeks provide a great opportunity for all of us to win the battle with this virus and return our students to the classroom, which we know is the best learning environment for all of our students.” 

Parent Jessica Vigil agreed that remote learning was best to keep her 7th grade daughter safe. Now, she’s concerned going back to the classroom would put her child at risk. 

Vigil said, “My concern is [it’s] just not safe anymore. The numbers are pretty high. WPS has a live counter that tells you the cases. My daughter’s school has already had to close because too many teachers were in contact with someone that was positive so they had to quarantine.”

In the past two weeks, the number of daily positive cases in Adams County has risen by 80%.

Since August, 104 students and 53 teachers in the district have tested positive for the Coronavirus. 

Still, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) says school strategies to prevent outbreaks “seem to be working.”

But Vigil isn’t buying that story, giving the rising COVID number in Adams County. 

“We live in a multigenerational home, so I’m worried about my parents as well. They are in their late 60s and I’ve seen what the flu has done; I’m worried about them as well,” said Vigil. 

Westminster Schools is one of the few districts in the Denver Metro now bringing students back to the classroom. 

The question now is, for how long?