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DENVER (KDVR) – Denver Public Schools (DPS) Superintendent Susana Cordova sent a letter to employees Friday morning announcing a full in-person reopening when school resumes in August.

“Based on this new, updated guidance from our health experts, I am pleased to announce 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,” Cordova wrote.

Cordova is following recommendations from the Metro Denver Health Partnership’s (MDHP) newly released guidance on reopening schools.

MDHP, a coalition of local health departments, emphasized the whole-child support that schools provide to the community and provided data of the limited transmission risks from students in the school setting.

In-person instruction will look different, with these changes:

  • There will be required health screenings of all students and staff before or as they arrive at school.
  • Masks will be required inside the school. 
  • We will adjust class schedules in order to keep groups of students together and limit student movement throughout the day. 
  • There will be no assemblies or large gatherings, and students will likely eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. 
  • Schools will have supplies of hand sanitizer and soap to allow for frequent hand-washing. 
  • School facilities will be disinfected regularly.

“Our Return to School Workgroup did a terrific job of putting together a plan for a mix of in-person and remote instruction, and if we need to, we can quickly pivot to that plan if health conditions and guidance change,” Cordova said in the letter.