Greeley-Evans School District 6 starts classes this week. So far, so good says district officials.
Easton Hack prepares to start his first day of kindergarten Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. His mom, Amanda Sweet, walked with him hand-in-hand to his class. Photo by Kelly Ragan.
By Kelly Ragan
On Wednesday morning, Easton Hack crossed Monfort Elementary School’s grounds, hand-in-hand with his mom, ready for his first day of kindergarten. He was excited to start school because that meant he could finally carry his very own lunch box.
For his mom, Amanda Sweet, it was a bittersweet moment.
“I’m excited, but I’m sad he’s growing up so fast,” Sweet said.
Maybe a little too fast, as Easton not only had to wear a mask to cross through the doors, he had to stop and get his temperature checked.
Students in Greeley-Evans School District 6 started school on staggered days this year, with new rituals accompanying the old ones. About one third of K-8 students began on Monday, another third began on Tuesday and the last third began on Wednesday. High schoolers will begin classes Thursday.
After getting a temperature check Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, Easton Hack walks hand-in-hand with his mom, Amanda Sweet, to his kindergarten classroom. Photo by Kelly Ragan.
So far, things seem to be going well.
There’s a mixture of excitement and anxiety, said school board president Michael Mathews in an interview with the NoCo Optimist. In fact, on Wednesday, two Fort Lupton High School students in separate cohorts tested positive, according to a Facebook post by the Weld Re-8 School District, just three days after school started. The high school will move to remote learning starting Thursday. Students will be able to return to in-person learning by September 8.
“We know we’ll have a positive case eventually,” Mathews said. “But hopefully there will be some time before that. Hopefully we can get everything off the ground. These first few weeks are really important for younger kids to meet their teachers.”
Monfort Elementary School staff waves parents forward as they conduct temperature checks before students can be dropped off Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Photo by Kelly Ragan.
Mathews’ own kids, he said, have already started their extracurricular activities, like marching band and cross country.
Students and parents alike donned masks on Wednesday as they shuffled into classrooms carrying bags of school supplies and tissue boxes. Some children showed off sparkly new backpacks as they recognized familiar faces.
Younger siblings shed some tears when they had to wave goodbye for the first time all summer.
A sign reads “Welcome Back” at Monfort Elementary School Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Photo by Kelly Ragan.
As the morning crowd swelled around 7:45 a.m. and cleared out shortly after, it seemed like the start to a fairly normal school day, all things considered.
Travis Thompson, a third grader at Monfort this year, said he’s most excited to see his friends and meet new ones this year.
“I don’t like the mask so much,” Thompson said, but he wore it anyway as he headed into his classroom.
What would it take for the district to change course?
As it stands, this is what would have to happen for District 6 to move to 100% remote learning:
10% or greater positivity rate in Weld County (we were at about 6.2% as of Monday)
10% or greater COVID-19 related absence in multiple schools
10% or greater student or staff absence districtwide
Dramatically increasing hospitalization rates
Significant increase in rates of new cases per 100,000 people
New guidance from health officials and/or an executive order from Gov. Jared Polis
According to the Weld County Department of Health and Environment, the two-week average positivity rate was 4.2% as of Wednesday.
According to the county, 94 people have died due to COVID-19 and 3,875 confirmed cases have been reported in Weld.