AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Aurora Public Schools announced new plans for the upcoming school year. Hundreds of students will take part in a new online program.

The vast majority, more than 97%, of the 38,000 students will come back into classrooms next month, but the district’s chief academic officer says they took all they have learned over the past year and a half and have created options they believe will work best for students and families.

“This circumstance we are in is quite fluid,” said Andre Wright.

After more than a year and a half of online, hybrid and in-person learning, APS decided to offer students and families continued flexibility by creating a K-8 online learning option for the upcoming school year.

“Our job is to make sure we are moving our students closer to the goal we have set and their families have set for them, regardless of the environment. This is a different way of doing it, but it doesn’t mean what we are doing changes. It’s how we go about it,” Wright said.

The district says it has 364 students enrolled in this new program where students will be fully remote for the entire school year. The 319 students who chose the flex model, will start remotely and then have the option to transition to in-person learning at the end of the first quarter.

“Logistically, you have all types of situations that may have happened where parents weren’t able for whatever reason have decided they are still interested in this virtual opportunity,” Wright said.

The pandemic forced the district to learn new ways to teach, and ways that may become permanent.

“I’m excited about what the future holds. The way we go about teaching and learning now is going to be different. We should accelerate those opportunities. Listen, this is no different than what the future holds for us,” Wright said.

The online model created 24 teaching positions. The district says 22 of those spots have been filled.