JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado schools are closed but for some students, classes are already in session online. Students at JeffCo Public Schools just completed their first week of remote learning and the superintendent is pleased with they way everyone is adapting.
"Well, it’s a Herculean shift and lift for a district the size of JeffCo to do this," said Dr. Jason Glass, Superintendent for JeffCo Public Schools.
Dr. Glass said the district has been working on a remote learning plan for the past three weeks. As it became clear that schools would be out of session for several weeks, they worked to make sure students had access to technology at home.
He said teachers were given guidance that would help them shift lesson plans to an online classroom but they have a lot of freedom too.
"It looks different from teacher to teacher and classroom to classroom just like it might if you walk through one of our schools on a day that they’re in session," said Dr. Glass. "There’s a whole variety of approaches that we’re seeing and frankly, we're encouraging that."
The district also started a social media campaign called, #jeffcolearns, where teachers and students can showcase the different ways they're embracing this new way of learning.
Denver Public Schools is also working to put a remote learning plan in place. Officials said the biggest focus is access to technology and equity. That's why the district purchased 9,000 Chromebooks this week.
"I think as much as possible, we want to make sure that everybody has access to similar resources, but our plan also includes ways to provide instruction that don’t require that," said Tamara Acevedo, Deputy Superintendent of Academics for Denver Public Schools.
