Reopening Colorado Classrooms

Page 8 Lost Creek Guide December 2, 2020 When It Comes Time To Reopen Colorado Classrooms, This New State Working Group Hopes To Help It Go Smoothly Colorado Public Radio by Vignesh Ramachandran 11/25/2020 Supreme Court Rules Against Cuomo’s Coronavirus limits -- with Barrett Playing Key Role Chief Justice Roberts sided with the court’s

Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday that a state working group will create plans for liberals in the dissenting opinion students’ return to classrooms in January. By David Aaro | Fox News

As COVID-19 cases have risen this month across Colorado, some of the state’s largest The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuodistricts, including Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools and the Douglas County mo from reimposing strict attendance caps at worship services in areas hit hard by the School District, are sending all grades back home for remote learning after the Thanksgivnovel coronavirus. ing holiday. While school officials are hopeful for an eventual return, the state says 1 in 41 Coloradans are currently contagious with the virus and the The court ruled 5-4 to bar Cuomo from enforcing his Oct. 6 “Cluster Initiative” against houses of worship that sued to challenge the restrictions. The order was also the first in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett played a decisive role. Barrett, who was President demand for hospital ICU Trump’s third beds could exceed capacity Supreme Court in January. nominee, joined Remote learning creates the court Oct. 27, its own set of challenges after winning Senfor some families grappling ate confirmation with balancing jobs, dis- following the Sept. engaged students and in- 18 death of Justice ternet reliability. The gov- Ruth Bader Ginsernor’s task force — which burg.

School buses parked in Fruita, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Hart Van Denburg/CPR News includes teachers, superintendents, health officials and parents — is supposed to provide feedback to help in the dissenting opinion, which stated the court had acted rashly. Then-Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is seen Oct. 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press) Meanwhile, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s liberal wing the state and public health leaders develop ideas for safe school reopenings. Cuomo’s initiative had created color-coded limits on mass gatherings and business op-

“We know that for many kids and frankly also for many teachers, the classroom is one of erations, in an effort to stem the outbreak in New York City areas that were experiencing a the safest places,” Polis said Wednesday. “And we want to make sure that we can do all we surge in cases, according to Bloomberg News. can do in that controlled environment to really make sure that we don’t have an additional New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing at the Office of semester as chaotic as this one is.” the Governor of the State of New York on July 23, 2020 in New York City. (Getty Images)

In recent days, superintendents have pushed back on pressure to reopen schools, say- It was aimed at worship services at some synagogues and Roman Catholic churches in ing state rules push schools towards closures. Schools have faced chaos trying to maintain parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Bloomberg reported. staffing levels and safe classrooms while complying with quarantine rules. In the hardest-hit areas, which were designated red zones, the state limited attendance

The task force, which will meet at least once a week, plans to talk about measures that in houses of worship to 25% of their capacity or 10 people, whichever is fewer. The majority both have and haven’t worked across the state in 2020 to decide on best practices. said his limits violated the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion. “I think our school leaders will share that they have never worked more closely with their local health departments — and that is a positive thing,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association and a member of the task force. “So that is something that we would obviously want to continue going forward.” Justice Neil Gorsuch, in the concurring opinion, said Cuomo had treated religious activities less favorably than nonreligious ones, according to the New York Times. “It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques,”

More stories about Colorado schools during the pandemic: wrote Gorsuch, who was also named to the court by Trump.

With Limited State Guidance, Colorado Schools Take Many Different Approaches To “So, at least according to the Governor, it may be unsafe to go to church, but it is always Learning In The Pandemic fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike, or spend the afternoon exploring

Denver Public School Parents Protest Return To Remote Learning Amid Rising COV- your distal points and meridians,” he continued, according to a tweet from The Economist ID-19 Cases correspondent Steven Mazie. “Who knew public health would so perfectly align with secu-

Even As Cases Spike, The Question Of Kids In School Has Different Answers In Denver, lar convenience?” Adams Counties The ruling was seen as a reversal from earlier actions taken during the pandemic this

Polis also said there has been a “strong, collaborative relationship with teachers and year by the high court in response to state restrictions on organized religion, reports with paraprofessionals” for districts that have successfully returned to in-person learning. said. The justices previously refused to lift restrictions on churches in California and Ne-

“We need, of course, the support of community members, parents, teachers, schools, vada. districts and others, to really help make sure that we have ... the right protocols in the right place at the right time, to keep students and teachers safe, and make sure that our kids’ future is not yet another casualty of this awful pandemic,” he explained. The Colorado Department of Education said last week it is allocating $15 million in In the dissenting opinion, Roberts explained why the court’s liberals opposed the decision. “Numerical capacity limits of 10 and 25 people, depending on the applicable zone, do seem unduly restrictive,” Roberts wrote, according to the Times. “It is not necessary, however, for us to rule on that serious and difficult question at this time.”grants to help cover the cost of school reopenings, including air ventilation improvements, “The governor might reinstate the restrictions,” he continued. “But he also might not. personal protective equipment and plexiglass. And it is a significant matter to override determinations made by public health officials

The state has also updated its tools to help school officials determine who needs to concerning what is necessary for public safety in the midst of a deadly pandemic. If the quarantine after COVID-19 exposure. governor does reinstate the numerical restrictions the applicants can return to this court,

As of Tuesday evening, Colorado has more than 206,439 documented COVID-19 cas- and we could act quickly on their renewed applications.” es and the virus has killed at least 2,466 people in the state. “HAPPY THANKSGIVING,” Trump wrote, sharing the Supreme Court’s ruling. Trump has repeatedly pushed back against shutdown measures to curb the spread of the virus. The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the decision and warned it could “undermine New York’s efforts to curb the pandemic.” “The freedom to worship is one of our most cherished fundamental rights, but it does not include a license to harm others or endanger public health,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program of Freedom of Religion and Belief. New York City, once the global epicenter of the virus, has reported a steady rise in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to close public schools for the second time. kinnearinsurance@outlook.com The city has reported more than 305,000 cases and 24,230 deaths related to COVID-19. “New York’s temporary restrictions on indoor gatherings do not discriminate against houses of worship, and, in fact, treat them better than comparable non-religious gatherings,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The Supreme Court’s decision will unfortunately undermine New York’s efforts to curb the pandemic.” David Aaro is a Reporter at Fox News Digital based in New York City.