Durango High School students will be back in school for four full days a week beginning April 5 as the school district continues to adjust schedules based on declining risk from the novel coronavirus.
The district is also looking to move elementary and middle school students back to five full days of in-person schooling either April 5 or April 12, but that final decision has not yet been made.
Currently, DHS students are attending school in-person for four half days a week.
Elementary and middle school students are attending in-person classes for four full days a week.
Durango School District Superintendent Dan Snowberger said, “We are excited to see positive progress in our work to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community.
“We recognize that the amount of time our high school students currently have outside of school provides more opportunities to engage in behaviors that contribute to the contraction of the virus. We also worry about the social-emotional health of our students without providing them a more expanded, normal schedule.”
DHS seniors and juniors will be able to leave campus for lunch, but for the time being, freshmen and sophomores will be confined to campus during the lunch hour.
Snowberger said several owners of businesses near the school have told him they believe they can follow COVID-19 safe practices with the number of student customers they anticipate from the senior and junior classes during the lunch hour.
9-R will continue to look at COVID-19 transmission data, and freeing the younger DHS students to leave campus during lunch could come in a few weeks, Snowberger said.
“Our district is excited to finally be able to expand our day for high schoolers following our successful return of elementary and middle school students to full-day programs,” Snowberger said. “We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and our positivity rates within our community and look forward to further expansion to a five-day week in the near future for all students.”
parmijo@durangoherald.com
