Eagle County Schools, set to open Tuesday, celebrates Green COVID-19 levels

Eagle County Schools Superintendent Philip Qualman on Monday issued the following letter to the community ahead of the first day of in-person school since last March.

With schools set to open four days a week for in-person learning at the elementary and and middle school levels on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and high schools set to open two days a week, Qualman noted that the level of COVID-19 infection in the community is at the Green, or Comfortable, level.

County data show levels of infection on par with mid-May, with a seven-day moving average infection rate of 1.86. There have been 1,165 confirmed cases in Eagle County since early March and nine deaths.

Here’s Qualman letter:

It is with great optimism and gratitude that we share with you the news that the community Key Performance Indicators for the prevalence of COVID in our community have been moved to the Green / Comfortable category. The key instruction in this category is “stay alert while activities resume.” This is very positive news for our community, but it is based on our collective efforts to wear masks in public, stay home when sick, and maintain maximum social distance. Please keep it up and continue to contribute to the safest environment possible for us to return to school.

Dads, moms and staff have already asked us if this changes anything for our back to school tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25th. There are no changes. The plans we’ve been talking about for several weeks remain unchanged. If you have any confusion, please contact your school office immediately.

Options for the fifth day
Many non-profit organizations serving students are organizing activities for the “fifth day” (Wednesday) when students participate in distance learning. We are working together, but we also need to get a good start to school before finalizing what those plans will look like. Please be patient as we adjust to the beginning of the school year.

Impact by Labor Day
So far, holiday weekends have led to outbreaks of the virus in the following weeks. Please remain committed to the practices that have led to our Green / Comfortable status to ensure that we can keep students in school. Stay home if you are sick, wear masks in public or around other people, keep as much distance as possible, and wash your hands frequently. Find ways to have fun and camaraderie with friends and family while staying safe.

Thank you
We’re making great strides collaborating together, so let’s keep it up! Let’s let the Green / Comfort category boost our back-to-school confidence AND inspire us to act in ways that keep us there! Before you know it, we will be having a new cycle of fun and learning.

Sincerely,
Philip Qualman
Superintendent