With Governor Polis’ announcement this week that all schools will stay closed through the end of April, many school districts are now making the prudent, but very sad decision to cancel in-person learning for the remainder of the school year. This is crushing news for Colorado’s public school educators. We so miss doing what we love most – spending quality time with our students and watching them experience the love of learning. We knew for weeks this day may come, but it’s heartbreaking to realize with finality that we won’t stand in front of our classes or see our students’ smiles on the school bus or in the lunch line.
This somber action is taken with the utmost concern for the personal safety of you and your students. We must all abide by the social distancing rules that are helping stop the spread of the terrible coronavirus. The latest models tracking the disease currently show the impact of COVID-19 is likely to peak in the last week of April. Even when the spread reaches its peak in Colorado, the coronavirus will continue to pose a significant threat for some time afterward. The public health risk is too great for our students, educators, families and communities to go back to school.
There is no adequate way to console students and educators who will lose musicals, plays, proms, graduations, and just the daily gathering of students and educators in these wonderful places of learning and inspiration, our public schools. We will all struggle with this loss for some time, but know we are here to support you as you support your students during this unprecedented time. Together, we will get through this and continue our pursuit to help every student thrive.
– Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and CEA President