Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
AURORA | Aurora Public Schools will use the data its decision matrix provides on Dec. 21 to help judge whether or not to bring students back to school in person in January, after announcing that all students will be remote through the end of the year.
The district relies on an internal decision matrix that uses a variety of metrics, including COVID-19 case trends in the district and the district’s supply of PPE, to calculate a score determining whether in-person learning is viable. The matrix is based on a 30-point scale, with a score of 14 points or above allowing the superintendent to implement some form of in-person learning.
A district spokesperson said the matrix doesn’t determine “safety” in classrooms, but rather acts as a guide for decision makers.
“APS is committed to providing as much in-person learning as is safely possible. We will continue to make decisions based on the evolving science and data that is available to us,” the district says on its matrix website. “The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and community is our top priority.”
The score is calculated every two weeks. Its most recent calculation on Dec. 7 gave the district a score of 13 points — one point below the level recommended for in-person learning.
The low score is largely driven by high COVID-19 case rates within the district boundaries. The current 14-day incidence rate is 1,160 per 100,000 people, and the district has a 13.16% positive test rate.
At a school board meeting Dec. 1, Superintendent Rico Munn said that the data from the next run of the matrix on Dec. 21 will inform its decision on how to proceed next semester.
“Depending on the range, I would then either make a recommendation or announce a plan to the community as far as what next steps would look like or what that trend looks like so that people could start to prepare for a return to school on Jan. 11 or whatever structure was appropriate at that time,” Munn said.
The Cherry Creek School District, which is also remote through winter break, expressed a similar desire to bring students back to the classroom in January. In a message sent out to families, Superintendent Scott Siegfried said that because schools have not been shown to be a meaningful vector for transmission, the district is working on a plan to return to in-person learning next semester.
It is unclear whether the extra two weeks will yield better results. At a press conference with Gov. Jared Polis last week, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci said that Colorado should expect to see a “surge upon surge” of COVID-19 cases throughout the holiday season.
At the board meeting, Munn also said he is looking into working with public health officials to revise the decision matrix for the future now that more information about the virus is available.
“I believe the thresholds we currently have set are very, very conservative, more conservative than may be necessary,” he said.
He said he hopes to bring a proposal for a revision at the next board meeting on Dec. 15.