Sara Sandstrom, Nederland. The Boulder Valley School District Board of Education held a meeting on October 8, 2020, to discuss and ask questions about returning all grades to in-person learning by the end of October. 

Superintendent Rob Anderson and his team spoke to how well bringing back Kindergarten through second grade has gone at all the schools. He said, “There is a positive energy when going around visiting schools.” He is proud of all the measures schools are taking to keep everyone safe and impressed how the students are complying with the situation. 

The elementary school in Nederland will be bringing back third, fourth and fifth graders on October 20. As with the primary grades, families can choose to continue school online or come to the school building. 

Classes will not cross in the hallways, out at recess or in the lunchroom. There is hand sanitizer in every classroom, and everyone is required to wash hands frequently and wear a mask. 

This will be the first time that Nederland Middle Senior High School (NMSHS) will see students in the school building for the 2020-2021 school year. Because NMSHS is the only school that is a combined middle high school in the district it will look a little different than other secondary schools in BVSD. 

Students sixth through twelfth grade will start on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. They will be going to school Tuesday through Friday. Principal Rick Elertson and his team are calling this “Needs Based Return to School”. It is clear that some students excel with home learning. Maybe it fits their style of learning better or maybe they have the family support at home to assist when needed. These students can continue with home learning. For other students it has been a struggle every step of the way and they have not found success with this way of learning. Home learning has failed to meet their social, emotional and/or academic needs. For some schools are a safe place and provide predictability in their lives. Some need the social aspect to be successful. 

Each family needs to look at their circumstances and if their student’s needs (any needs) cannot be met at home then they can choose to have their student back to in-person learning. 

Elertson says, “When you are leading a school during a pandemic you are trying to thread a very very tiny needle. On the one hand, you have families who can adjust their lives and adequately support their children. On the other hand, I hear from families who are desperate for their child to get back to school and receive the support we provide.” 

He says that they must open for these families and students who are struggling and need the support. They also have the task of keeping people safe. Of course, no one knows how this is all going to turn out. This is the most unpredictable year. Elertson says, “We pull together because we understand our moral purpose. Every child, every day, no matter what!”

Nederland Elementary and Nederland Middle Senior High School take this all very seriously. It is a struggle to work with teachers through a computer screen hour after hour. Teachers and students need to see each other and connect. 

As an entire Peak to Peak community this needs to be taken seriously. The schools could easily be back to Phase 1 if even a few people in the community do something foolish during the pandemic. Please, wear a mask, wash your hands, and practice social distancing. There are young people in the community who need to be in school. What we are going through is exceptionally difficult for young minds. Everyone in the community can play their part in keeping each other safe and keeping our school buildings open. 

(Originally published in the October 15, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)