Middle and high school students in Loveland and Berthoud will start the school year with a hybrid online and in-school model, while elementary students will return to school full-time in person as originally planned.
The Thompson School District communicated with parents Wednesday night a change in plans to launch the school year after the Larimer County Department of Health released updated guidance that changed the recommendations of class levels for cohort groups.
“Due to the adjustment, Thompson School District will no longer be providing a 100% in-person option for students in grades 6-12,” according to the message sent to families. “Instead, students in those grades who choose an in-person model for the school year will be enrolled in a hybrid model that establishes two groups of students and mixes in-person instruction with virtual education.”
The previously released plan was for middle school students to spend the full day in school, with students changing classes among only set teachers, while high school students were to spend the morning in school and the afternoon at home online.
The district considered both of those in-person learning because all students would be in school at least a portion of every day.
Details on the hybrid system, and how that differs, are still being finalized, and school district officials could not be immediately reached for comments on the change.
The district has a 6 p.m. forum scheduled tonight to answer questions about the return to school; a link is available at thompsonschools.org.
“The hybrid model does allow for less kids in the classroom and more social distancing,” said Katie O’Donnell, spokeswoman for the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. “We’re hearing that’s important to our community.”
The change does not affect elementary school grades. Those students will still return to school full time with physical distancing in place, with cohort groups and with a mask requirement, according to the district’s email to families and the previously released Return to Learn plan.
“This decision is based on data and guidance from county health officials that indicates that children under the age of 10 do not transmit the COVID-19 virus in the same manner as older individuals,” according to the email from the school district to families.
Families also have the option to choose full online education for all grade levels.
“We are supportive of either model,” O’Donnell said. “We’re supportive of the 100% virtual model if that’s what our schools want to do as long as they are safe. There’s nothing about Thompson’s original plan that is unsafe. There’s nothing about the hybrid plan that is unsafe. It’s just what they choose to do.
“It’s just a matter of them really trying to make sure that the teachers feel safe and the families feel safe.”
The first day of school is either Aug. 31 or Sept. 1, depending on the grade level, and the district has extended until Aug. 9 the deadline for parents to decide whether to choose fully online school or the model that includes some time in the classroom.
Parents who have already completed their forms and want to change can fill out new forms, and the updated decision will apply.
Health officials will continue to work with the school district to keep everyone as safe as possible whether they opt for online, in-person or a mixture of both, O’Donnell said, noting that, “There’s no perfect answer.”
This story will be updated as more information is available.
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July 31, 2020 at 12:00AM
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Change in plans: Thompson School District moves to hybrid model for middle and high school - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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