On 11/12/20, JeffCo Public Schools announced that, in response to a recommendation from JeffCo Public Health, the district will be moving to remote learning until after winter break. This announcement has perhaps prompted questions for you about ACA’s plans.
ACA will continue to provide in-person learning at this time. Our administration has been in touch with staff at JeffCo Public Health, and it’s clear that the recommendation is directed at a broad, diverse school district with individual school communities that are as large as 2,000 students, plus faculty and staff. What’s more, there is no current mandate to close schools either at the county or state level.
As we navigate this strange year, we first want to remember and point to the tremendous goodness God has poured out on ACA in protecting our community and providing in-person learning. Praise be to Him! We also want to acknowledge that our families, students, and staff have made wise decisions about following protocols and keeping our community safe. Please continue to do so.
To that end, now’s a great time to review the guidance from CDPHE regarding symptoms of illness and when to keep kids home from school. Please take a minute to read guidance on when children should stay home and the flowchart on when children may return to school after being sick. Please note that Jefferson County is currently at Safer At Home Level 3 on the CDPHE COVID-19 Status Dial.
ACA continues to employ all of the initial protocols we outlined at the start of school, including cohorting students to prevent cross-contact of large numbers of students on campus. The best way for us to stay open is to continue all of these measures and for parents to err on the side of keeping a student home if he or she is sick. Please notify the office if you or your child has tested positive for COVID, so we can respond and support your family accordingly.
We remind you of these practices because we do not take lightly the enormous goodness of in-person education for our students. Evidence and experts continue to reiterate what we know to be true: For students who are typically educated at school, the best place for them to learn is in classrooms with teachers. Each week, we weigh possible exposure against the adverse effects of not being in school, and we believe that welcoming students, discipling and teaching them in-person, is the best course for ACA.
Of course, we continue to monitor all available data, and if the time comes when it’s wisest for ACA to move to remote learning, we are prepared to continue to provide high-quality, Christ-centered education to all of our students virtually. Let us continue to pray that this does not have to become a reality!
Please keep praying for ACA—for protection and provision, for great joy for our students and teachers, for stamina and wisdom for our administration. One day, may our students tell the story of the bizarre and marvelous year when the shakable things were shaken, and they got to see clearly God’s mighty hand at work in their lives through their marvelous school.
The ACA Administration