2020-21 School Year FAQS

• How many parents were involved in the district’s planning process for the second semester?Although parents/guardians were not directly involved in the district’s planning, the district leadership team considers community feedback when making decisions. 

• With all students at school more of the time and given space constraints in some schools, social distancing of 6 feet cannot always be maintained. What may happen as a result?  During the second semester, preschool and elementary classrooms will shift to remote learning for 10 days when there is a potential COVID-19 exposure in the class. This is referred to as enhanced contact tracing, which allows the teacher to educate the entire class remotely and to reduce risk for all from potential exposure. Secondary schools will follow the same contact tracing method as they did during the first semester. This is called targeted tracing and involves shifting to remote, identification of close contacts and issuing quarantine orders to close contacts of a case. We believe targeted tracing is less disruptive and more sustainable at the secondary level. Enhanced tracing is thought to be more difficult for secondary teachers to manage, who engage with multiple classes in a day, compared with an elementary homeroom teacher who interacts with one.  
  
  The district will closely monitor PSD-specific COVID-19 data, available on the PSD website here, and adjust as necessary. This may include a temporary closure of a school. From Jan. 19 and until otherwise specified, PSD leadership and Health Services staff will discuss with principals whether a temporary school closure is necessary when a school’s case percentage goes above 1%, as displayed on PSD’s data dashboard. Families should be prepared that their student’s school may be affected by this new change and that they may receive little notice before a temporary closure occurs.  More information >> 

• How do the teachers feel about returning full-time prior to vaccinations being made available to them? Although we can't speak for teachers, generally, we know our employees are experiencing a range of emotions about our return to in-person learning. Some may be excited to be with students again, some may be nervous about what a return to school means for their health and that of their students and colleagues, and some may be feeling both of those things simultaneously. For direct feedback, we  encourage you to connect with leaders from the three employee associations -- the Poudre Education Association (PEA), Association of Classified Employees (ACE) and Poudre Association of School Executives (PASE). 

• What is PSD doing to get all staff vaccinated? We remain in close contact with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment (LCDHE) on this important issue. It is important to note that the state, not PSD, controls the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and has a tiered plan based upon risk level. During the week of Jan. 4 alone, state and local health department officials and the Governor’s Office communicated multiple different estimated timelines for when essential workers in the state’s 1B tier (this includes “essential education workers”) might receive vaccinations. As of early January, it is not clear to PSD staff when teachers and other staff might be vaccinated. We will share more information as it becomes available. 

• Why are some of PSD’s alternative schools following a different plan that the rest of the district? Poudre Global Academy (PSD’s hybrid in-person/online option), Poudre Community Academy and Centennial High School operate differently and are much smaller than other PSD schools, particularly the four big comprehensive high schools, which have roughly 2,000 students. With smaller populations and based on data from when PSD was in Phase 3 hybrid learning this fall, we anticipate these three schools may experience fewer COVID-19 cases and have some flexibility to operate that the comprehensive high schools don’t because of their size. 

• Can someone explain the 20 COVID cases at Preston? Staff or students? Seems like not the best time to go back. The default PSD COVID-19 data dashboard page (https://www.psdschools.org/psd2020-21/COVID19schoolstatus) displays information from Oct. 5, 2020, the first day primary students were in session during the 2020-21 school year, through the present. Users who filter the data on the web page can see, as of Jan. 8, that Preston had two cases in the past 28 days: one on Dec. 14 and one on Jan. 6. Additionally, it’s important to note that Preston’s previous outbreak was reported the week of Jan. 4 by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment as resolved. Outbreak status is another metric reported publicly on PSD’s COVID-19 Data and School Information web page. 

• With students returning to school, is PSD planning to test students and staff for COVID-19? Poudre School District, like other districts along the Front Range, is exploring potential options for COVID-19 testing in partnership with public health officials. We will communicate any updates related to this work as information is available. 

• In Phase 3, PSD shifted staff and students to remote education during four-day Initial Assessment Periods with the health department. Will this happen again? Or is there a new process? PSD COVID-19 Response Teams will continue working with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment to conduct contact tracing investigations. See the latest protocols on the PSD COVID-19 Protocols for COVID-19 >> 

• What will happen to Remote Learning Center’s after Jan. 4? These will remain open to support identified students who need a safe space with internet and meals so they can access their remote educations. Students do not receive direct instruction; they are supervised by an adult while participating in learning online with their teacher(s). 

PSD elementary schools will not simulcast/livestream at the elementary level. In situations when students are absent from school due to exposure or quarantine, we will provide work to complete at home, as we would have prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. One reason elementary schools will not offer classroom simulcasts is because many of our youngest learners would likely have difficulty accessing their online learning materials and the simulcast without a dedicated adult to support them, as compared with their older peers.    
    
PSD secondary schools will offer simulcasts/broadcasts. These will serve as a one-way window into the classroom; teachers will be focused on their in-person students and are not expected to interact with students accessing the broadcast. The broadcasts serve as a complement to the learning materials secondary students access online through their Teacher Learning pages (teacher notes, presentation slides, reading materials, etc.).

We encourage families who are not comfortable with their student returning to the classroom to submit a transfer request for PSD Virtual, for the 2020-21 school year, or submit a School of Choice application for Poudre School District Global Academy Virtual for the 2021-22 school year.     

If community conditions deteriorate and PSD decides to shift to remote education, the district will consider the many aspects of how the shift will impact current district operations, including for each grade level. When a decision to shift occurs, the district will communicate the specific plan and timeline. 

Parents/guardians always have the right to keep their child home from school. That said, it would be considered an unexcused absence to keep a student home on an in-person learning day. Parents/guardians did have the option to enroll in PSD Virtual, the district’s 100 percent online option for the 2020-21 school year.

PSDV transfers are being accepted by grade level, depending on space availability, following PSD’s School Transfer Request Process. You may begin the school transfer process by completing the School Transfer Request (also available in Spanish - School Transfer Request).    

• K-5 may submit transfer requests to Sonja Ballstadt at sballsta@psdschools.org.  

• 6-12 may submit transfer requests to Kristen Besanceney at kbesance@psdschools.org. 

Learn more on the PSD Virtual web page. 

• School schedules and consistent practices are in place for remote education.

• Teachers communicate with students and families on a regular basis and have Teacher Learning Pages that include messages, links to online learning platforms and assignment information. 

• The district has provided Help Guides for families to learn how to navigate these primary applications to support their students (Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, etc.). 

• All lessons are based on essential standards and provide meaningful work. Over the course of the year, all essential standards will be covered in core subject areas and courses. 

• Attendance is taken each day. Students should receive timely and relevant feedback on their learning during school hours. Grades are being assigned. 

More information, including remote learning schedules for elementary, middle and high school students, is available on the Remote Learning: What to Expect web page.

PSD staff have been working with many community partners throughout the pandemic to identify ways to support our most vulnerable students. In Phase 1 remote learning, the district will continue to operate remote learning support centers at many PSD schools for students identified with specific needs. 

Students supported through this model are those who lack the resources at home to participate in remote learning; those who are English Language Learners; and those identified as needing significant intervention for English or mathematics. Remote learning support centers were initially opened in late August and early September as spaces where students had a safe place to access meals, internet services and mental health support, while engaging in the remote educations. To be clear, staff will be supervising students in-person while they engage in remote learning online with their grade-level or content area teachers. Supervisory staff do NOT provide in-person instruction. 

Additionally, the Integrated Services Department will work with identified students with disabilities and support them for limited boost sessions, as the department did when PSD was previously in Phase 1. More information is available on the Supporting Students with Disabilities web page. 

A new technical support website designed specifically for parents and students is available. The website offers device troubleshooting information, application technical support and covers other common technical issues that parents and students sometime experience. 

• Access the PSD Community Tech Portal here.
•  Email covidtechhelp@psdschools.org or call the student/family support line at 970-490-3339
• Technical Support and Resources web page. 

Online teacher learning pages provide remote learning resources

Every teacher and/or department has their own online learning pages where students can find their remote learning resources. For example, an elementary teacher's page may feature messages from the teacher, and links to Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, other learning applications. These pages serve as the entry point for students to access content when remote learning is in place. We also encourage parents/guardians to communicate with teachers, principals and other school staff when you have questions or want to discuss support for your student. 

Grades will be assigned. Grading practices and expectations will be communicated. 

Please visit the Support of Students with Disabilities in 2020-21 web page for information.

We would absolutely prefer to see our students in-person, at school every day of the week. 

Having four phases of education in place, allows us to be prepared to adapt as successfully and efficiently as possible to new public health guidelines and restrictions that currently exist and may still arise. 

There are disadvantages with each of the four phases of education, and families, students and staff will face challenges with each. Our commitment to you is that we will maintain PSD’s high standards for teaching and learning, regardless of the educational phase in the 2020-21 school year. 

PSD is working with the Colorado Department of Education to determine the steps necessary to ensure that the district meets CDE requirements for the number of minutes, hours, and days necessary at each school level. With the shift of the start of the school year to August 24, PSD is considering adding instructional minutes to each school day, re-designating workdays as student contact days, and other strategies to meet these requirements while keeping the last day of school on May 26, 2021. We will communicate with our community if the last day changes.

For the latest information about PSD athletics and activities, please visit the PSD Activities, Athletics and Events Status web page. 

Will there be clubs or extracurricular activities?  There will be no clubs or extracurricular activities in-person at the elementary level. Secondary grades may offer some athletics, clubs and extracurricular activities that follow public health protocols. 

Will there be field trips?  No, field trips are currently not being scheduled. 

There are no such groups affiliated with or endorsed by PSD. If parents wish to use the learning-pod model described above, they need to organize the groups on their own, as they are not part of PSD. PSD will not assign teachers to work with these specific groups. 

No, it is not possible to request a refund of taxes paid to a taxing district. 

• Why aren’t charter schools’ case data listed on PSD’s COVID-19 data dashboard?
  Liberty Common School and Liberty Common High School, Ridgeview Classical Schools, Fort Collins Montessori, Compass Collaborative School and Mountain Sage are PSD's authorized charter schools. Although PSD authorized their charters, the district does not manage their operations or staff; charter school employees are NOT PSD employees. Therefore, PSD is not overseeing or managing COVID-19 response at any of the district's authorized charter schools. That is also why the charter school case information is not posted on PSD's COVID-19 School Status and Information web page. Those who have questions about how PSD-authorized charter schools are operating during COVID-19 or anytime, should contact those schools directly. 

• Why are some charter and private schools in Larimer County operating in-person while PSD is in Phase 1 remote learning?
  Although PSD authorized some schools’ charters, the district does not manage PSD-authorized charter schools’ operations or staff; charter school employees are NOT PSD employees. Therefore, PSD is not overseeing or managing COVID-19 response at any of the district's authorized charter schools. Larimer County Department of Health and Environment is allowing schools to continue to operate, if schools feel they have adequate staffing to do so and that they are comfortable doing so, from a health and safety perspective. LCDHE approves all plans to operate. For more information about why PSD shifted to Phase 1 in November 2020, please reference this news item on the district website. Additionally, it’s important to note that PSD is much larger than charter schools or a single private school. The overall impact of communitywide spread and cases is much more significant on a system with ~3,000 staff and 27,000 students than a private or charter school with several hundred or even 1,000+ people altogether. 

You are correct. PSD did permit student teachers to be in classrooms during Phase 3, so they could support student learning and gain skills they will need to become professional teachers who will continue to support students throughout their careers. The district did not permit parent or community volunteers in Phase 3 to minimize the number of people who were in schools at any one time. As they have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, district staff will continue to discuss and evaluate who may be allowed in PSD buildings during each educational phase. 

The district is aware of CSU’s decision to change the dates of its spring break but has not yet determined whether PSD’s spring break will remain as it is currently scheduled (March 15-19) or change as a result of CSU’s decision. 

What options do parents/students have if they do not want to return to in-person learning, other than PSDV?  

The district’s 100 percent online option for the 2020-21 school year is PSD Virtual. PSDV transfers are being accepted by grade level, depending on space availability, following PSD’s School Transfer Request Process. You may begin the school transfer process by completing the School Transfer Request (also available in Spanish - School Transfer Request).    

• K-5 may submit transfer requests to Sonja Ballstadt at sballsta@psdschools.org.  

• 6-12 may submit transfer requests to Kristen Besanceney at kbesance@psdschools.org. 

Those interested in a fully virtual model for the 2021-22 school year have the option of applying for School of Choice to Poudre School District Global Academy Virtual (PGAV). The first consideration deadline is noon Friday, Jan. 15. More School of Choice information >> 

Next school year, PGAV is offering a new fully virtual K-12 model in addition to their current hybrid model. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/pgainfo and consider attending an upcoming virtual open house: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9 (The meeting Microsoft Teams link can be found at https://bit.ly/pgainfo).

PSD Virtual was established as an option for the 2020-21 school year as an alternative for families who opted for the consistency of learning online all the time. PSD Virtual will not shift among the district’s educational phases, which are dependent on current public health conditions, guidance and orders.  

PSDV teachers will use the standards-based curriculum from Colorado iLearn Collaborative, locally developed curriculum, and concurrent enrollment courses at Front Range Community College at the secondary level and curriculum from Colorado Digital Learning Solutions and locally developed curriculum at the elementary level. PSD Virtual teachers will also supplement with other district curriculum materials for teaching and learning. PSD teachers in the home schools will use district curriculum materials for their remote instruction.   

Additionally, classes of PSD Virtual students will have students from schools across the district. For example, a first-grade class may have students whose home schools are Bennett, McGraw, Timnath and Zach elementary schools. Students who don’t enroll in PSD Virtual will remain in class with students who are all from the same home school.  

Whether enrolled in PSD Virtual or attending their home school, PSD students will experience support from compassionate and professional teachers and staff as well as be connected to their peers, teachers and others within unique school communities. 

To unenroll in PSD Virtual:

•  Email psdvinfo@psdschools.org with the subject line “Unenroll.”
• In the body of the email, please provide your parent name, student name, and student ID number. 

Enrolling your child at PSD Virtual is a year-long commitment. There may be a possibility of transitioning back to your student’s neighborhood school at the semester break, but that opportunity will be on a space-available basis and is not guaranteed. For more information, visit the PSD Virtual website.

You can find guidelines and information about what you need to do to homeschool on the PSD Homeschool web page. 

PSDV transfers are being accepted by grade level, depending on space availability, following PSD’s School Transfer Request Process. You may begin the school transfer process by completing the School Transfer Request (also available in Spanish - School Transfer Request).    

• K-5 may submit transfer requests to Sonja Ballstadt at sballsta@psdschools.org.  

• 6-12 may submit transfer requests to Kristen Besanceney at kbesance@psdschools.org. 

Some grade levels at PSDV are full and cannot accept transfer students at this time because PSD has reached its capacity.   

Virtual students who wish to return to their neighborhood or choice school (if they were approved for the 2020-21 school year) for the current school year should complete PSD’s School Transfer Request Process. You may begin the school transfer process by completing the School Transfer Request (also available in Spanish - School Transfer Request). Please be aware that not all PSD schools are accepting transfers at this time.   

• K-5 may submit transfer requests to Sonja Ballstadt at sballsta@psdschools.org.  

• 6-12 may submit transfer requests to Kristen Besanceney at kbesance@psdschools.org.