BVSD is distributing food again on Thursday, March 19th at any one of the following locations until 1:30:

• Creekside Elementary School
• Crestview Elementary Schoolan
• Columbine Elementary School
• Emerald Elementary School
• Louisville Middle School
• Nederland High School
• Pioneer Elementary School
• Sanchez Elementary School
• University Hill Elementary School

No paperwork is required to receive aid.

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In an executive order on Wednesday, March 18th, Governor Jared Polis announced that Colorado would close schools from March 23rd to April 17th. Fairview was originally scheduled for a two-week closure, potentially ending on March 30th.

The move comes after a series of closures on Polis’ part, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. He had previously closed all theaters, gyms, bars and casinos, as well as restricting restaurants to only serve take out or delivery.

This is a statewide closure, meaning that schools across Colorado will close all in-person classes for the next four weeks. Previously, districts including BVSD had closed until the end of spring break.

Just this morning, Governor Polis said that “while it’s possible school might return this year, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely.”

“For the next two weeks, this is much like a snow day. It will be a closure without educational services. So for students, it will be essentially a break,” said BVSD Director of Communications Randy Barber, previously.

However, a closure until the 17th now means that teachers will move to online classes. While not unexpected, the transition will prove difficult to families without a stable internet connection or access to a home computer.

Superintendent Rob Anderson described the procedure for online instruction in an email to families earlier this week, saying “Online courses focused on Core Content and courses needed for students to graduate will be the priority. Printed materials may be made available on a case-by-case basis.”

In a similar message released hours after the executive order, Anderson outlined the exact details for classes. This email was sent to both families and students, a departure from BVSD’s usual communication style.

In the message, officials said that the average amount of work should online be “4 hours total per day for all periods and classes.”

Starting on March 30th, the message said, Fairview students will access their classes on Schoology. Teachers are expected to reach out to their students to provide further details, either through Schoology, Google Classroom, or an email.

Students can expect classes to take the form of  “daily assignments” and “live video conferences.” Attendance in “class” will be determined by whether or not students complete assigned work.

Additionally, said the message, classes will have a weekly all class video conference on either Google Hangouts or Schoology video.

Administrators have considered distributing Chromebooks and WiFi routers to families who need them, to take online classes, but they have not announced any concrete plans to do so.

Instead, they said that students will not be penalized for not attending video sessions, and that they “understand that you may not have access to a device, the Internet or may be caring for younger siblings.”

BVSD officials have also urged the broader Boulder community to remain positive.

“Working together, we will get through this,” said Anderson.

For the latest information about COVID-19, visit the CDPHE’s website.