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DSST: Aurora Science & Tech Middle School

Updates to Our Health and Safety Policies

08/06/21, 5:17 PM

Dear DSST Families,

I am so excited to welcome you back for the start of the 2021-22 school year! Our school teams are already back from the summer working hard to prepare for a fantastic school year. We know how important this coming school year will be for your children and are ready to give them the best experience we possibly can.

I am writing today to share several key updates to DSST’s health and safety policies. This has been a challenging time with rising COVID-19 case numbers and local and state guidance rapidly changing. We care deeply about the health and safety of each of our DSST students and families, and we will continue to prioritize keeping our entire community safe and learning. We acknowledge there are multiple perspectives on what schools should be doing this fall to reopen safely, particularly around masking. Our team is working hard to balance keeping students safe with our desire to create an incredible student experience.

The updates below will explain the measures we are taking to start the school year to ensure we have a full year of in-person instruction for our students, with minimum disruptions. We will regularly revisit our health and safety guidance and hope that we can get to a place where precautions are less necessary. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

Universal Mask Wearing for Students and Staff

All DSST schools in both Denver and Aurora will require mask wearing for students and staff. This mask policy is effective Monday, August 9th, and will be in place on the first day of school:

All staff, students, and visitors in a DSST building will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, during school hours and student-facing school activities like sports and clubs, unless there is a documented accommodation within a student's IEP or 504 plan.
Masks will not be required outside, since the risk of COVID transmission is significantly lower outdoors.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that everyone wear masks in schools given increasing evidence that vaccinated people can contract COVID-19 (although with much less risk of severe illness) and can also spread the virus. Earlier this week, Denver Public Schools (DPS) announced they will align with the CDC’s recommendation by requiring masking of all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. Though some metro area districts are making masks optional, we believe the CDC's recommendation is clear, and we want to do everything we can to prevent disruptions to our school year which could occur if we have outbreaks in our schools. Between Denver’s vaccination requirement for staff and universal masking, we are making a strong commitment to doing what we can to prioritize in-person learning for our families.

When to Stay Home

Keeping your student home when they are feeling ill is important in reducing the spread of illness, and it is critically important that as a community, we think carefully about how our individual choices impact those around us.

Each day before school, students should check for symptoms using the When to Stay Home tool on our website to determine if they should stay at home due to illness. If your student is experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should have your student stay home and then call your school:

Loss of taste or smell
Feeling feverish, having chills or a temperature of 100.4°F or higher
New or unexplained persistent cough
Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Headache
Sore throat
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Runny nose or congestion

COVID tests are widely available and are another key health measure that can help prevent the spread of the virus. If your child is experiencing any of the symptoms above, we recommend getting a COVID test. You can find resources to access free COVID tests on our website.

Vaccinations Protect Our School Communities

The COVID-19 vaccine is our most powerful tool to ensure our students are all safe and that their in-person learning will continue uninterrupted. The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be extremely effective in reducing the risk of severe illness from the virus. The City and County of Denver and Aurora Public Schools are requiring that all of our school staff (excluding those with medical and religious exemptions) receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

We strongly recommend that all eligible students and their families get vaccinated as soon as possible. Currently, vaccines are widely available in Colorado for those 12 and older. We know many of our incoming 6th graders will start the year at 11 years old, and we recommend they get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. You can find more information about where to get vaccinated on our website.

If your child is unvaccinated, we recommend that they take a COVID test before returning to school and frequently throughout the year.

We Will Continue to Keep You Updated

Finally, we will certainly be in touch as we have more updates. You can always access our latest COVID updates on our website. We are preparing for an incredible year of joyful and inspired learning and can’t wait for our students to join us in our buildings this fall. Thank you for your trust and cooperation as we work together to start this school year safely for our students.

Thank you,

Bill Kurtz

DSST CEO