The following is an emergency message from Durango School District 9-R for all families. Due to inclement weather, all in-person learning and activities will be cancelled today, Monday, January 25, 2021. Regional road conditions are hazardous per La Plata County assessments, making travel conditions challenging throughout the day. Remote learning will resume for in-person learners, while childcare and kids’ camp are all cancelled.

Our Return to In-Person Learning Task Force met again this morning to review the new state guidance that was released after our Return Matrix was presented to the community. We recognize the challenges our families are experiencing due to the school closures and are committed to getting our children back to school as soon as possible. That being said, we also want to make sure that we do so in a manner that will not require another closure this Spring, barring of course, any major changes in the status of the pandemic and local transmission rates and risks.

Happy New Year 9-R families!

As you may know, our community transitioned to Level Orange on Friday of last week with regard to the COVID-19 impact in our community. With that change, we will look forward to elementary children returning to in-person learning next week. As per a Durango 9-R Matrix developed in conjunction with teachers and staff prior to the holidays, elementary-aged children who had been previously served five days a week may now return for in-person learning two days a week, Mondays and Tuesdays, while at Level Orange. Watch for more communications and details on this return from your child's school.

We hope this message finds you safe and healthy as we move into our winter break scheduled from December 20 to January 4. Students will resume with remote learning on January 5, 2021. We have developed a matrix that outlines what our actions will be in response to our community COVID-19 transmission rate, that aligns with the level of risk and transmission in the re-opening phase as issued by San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH).

Earlier this fall the Return to Learn task force was formed, comprising teachers and administrators from all school sites, with the purpose of reviewing the current Return to Learn 9-R Plan and making proposed changes to the plan based on the current public health situation in the area. Currently the task force is evaluating and creating the data points that will help drive the district timeline decisions for returning to in-person instruction, and the variations that will be considered in learning models and needs depending on local health data and availability of school supports and resources.

As shared last weekend, the district will focus its communication on Friday to update you on important matters at the district level during this pivot to remote learning for our students. In this video, we hope to share updates with you on:
- The rationale for the shift to remote learning;
- The current status of our community with regard to the COVID crisis;
- Our pathway forward as we look forward to reopening our schools in a safe and careful manner; and,
- Reminders about services currently available to our students as we provide remote services to our K-12 students.

Thank you for partnering with us during the next few weeks as we engage your child in remote learning while we prepare to hopefully open our schools after the winter holidays.  On Friday, we will provide you with more information as to our community's progress in getting control of the spread of the COVID-19 virus and our metrics we will look for as we prepare to reopen our schools in the future.

Dear Families,




We commend all the efforts that our families and staff have made to allow 9-R to open up our school year with three different learning models, including in-person. That was not an option for many districts across the state and the country, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support students and enjoy success in the first quarter of the school year with little to no issue.

Good afternoon 9-R Families and Staff. As you probably know, our community is seeing a significant increase in new cases of COVID-19. This is not unlike the rest of our state or nation at this point. Needham Elementary School is closed to a majority of its students due to potential exposure of staff members to a positive case. Students were not at risk of exposure as they were not at school due to the cancelation of school a week ago Friday.

Included in this article is a comprehensive, easy to read PDF that breaks down the details of how schools and the district are funded, how the money is allocated to schools, and impacts of legislation and mandates. This year's guide has a focus on capital needs to try to bring to light the deficit due to the negative factor and the current needs across the district.