The El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education announced it is on track to follow the ìReturn to Learnî plans laid out at the Aug. 10 regular meeting and at the work session Aug. 26. The district officially began remote learning Aug. 17 for all grade levels.In an email to ìThe New Falcon Herald,î David Nancarrow, D 49 director of communications, wrote that the district made exceptions to the remote learning rule for small groups of specialized learners who needed in-person intervention, particularly students with individualized education plans.ìWe will begin staggered, in-person learning on most campuses when we welcome PreK-second-graders on September 8,î he wrote. On Sept. 14, third-through-fifth-grade students will return to in-person learning, Nancarrow wrote.The BOE is working to develop a strategy to bring the middle and high school students back for in-person learning, but as of the work session meeting, no plan strategy was in place, Nancarrow wrote.According to the districtís website, the BOE is using county and district health data to support the ìReturn to Learnî plans.ìWe are collaborating with our partners at El Paso County to trace and determine any incident of transmission at a school or workplace within District 49,î according to the website.ìOperating with zero transmission or outbreaks is a clear indicator of support of in-person learning. Any transmission at school indicates a breakdown in our safety system, and any incident that matches the definition of an outbreak creates a vulnerability to staff or students. Either of those would cause us to reevaluate our school plans along with other key measures for possible quarantine or closure.î
