Para español haga clic aquí

Dear DSST Families,

Thank you for continuing to trust DSST Public Schools with the education of your child(ren). I am grateful for the opportunity to work with your child(ren). Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the mask input survey or share feedback via email. We heard from over 300 staff members, 290 parents and guardians and 545 students. Your feedback was incredibly valuable as I considered this decision. As you might imagine, it was pretty evenly divided between keeping the existing mask mandate and aligning with the public health guidance to drop the mandate.

After careful consideration of everything we heard, further conversations with local public health experts and a review of the latest research and health data, DSST will follow the guidance of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) and the Tri-County Health Department and lift our existing mask mandate at the end of the day on Friday, February 25. However, masks will continue to be strongly recommended for all students, staff and visitors on all of our campuses. Furthermore, we will reserve the right to require masks in the future should a new variant or health conditions warrant.

How DSST Made this Decision

This decision is based on your feedback and guidance from health experts. Here is the most important rationale:

• This is the recommendation from our local public health agencies, which we have consistently followed throughout the pandemic. Our health partners made this decision based on high rates of immunity and lower rates of severe disease. This video from DPS features Dr. Steve Federico of Denver Health and provides further explanation behind the DDPHE decision. It is worth watching if you haven’t done so.
• We know that masking can provide protection from the virus, and we know there are social/emotional, mental health and academic health consequences of masking that also need to be weighed. Many staff, students, and parents spoke to these tradeoffs in the survey. There is no right answer here, but we recognize that both are realities our communities deal with daily.
• While many indicated that they personally preferred to keep the mask mandate in place, the majority of that group recognized the difficulty of enforcing a mandate when APS, DPS and Denver/Aurora municipalities have lifted theirs. 

New and Continued Health and Safety Efforts

Having made this decision, I am as committed as ever to ensuring that we increase our focus on health and safety to keep your child(ren) and our communities safe. Here are some of these steps.

• Masks are strongly recommended for everyone and especially those who are not vaccinated or immuno-compromised.
• Students and staff will be expected to continue the use of our Quarantine and Isolation Guidance and should stay home when they are feeling sick, if they test positive or if they have close contact with someone who has tested positive.
• We are working to obtain 7,500 rapid COVID test kits to distribute to students and staff upon request and will continue to provide COVID testing opportunities for students and staff through Covid Check CO and CDPHE. Please reach out to your front office for more details on how to sign up if your child needs a rapid test. Other testing resources are available here.
• We will be hosting vaccine clinics throughout March for students, families and staff. Our communities will be able to receive first, second and booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine at these on-campus clinics. Please consider coming as a family if you need to be vaccinated. Other vaccine resources are available here.
• We have optimized our HVAC filters and ventilation systems to meet updated CDC standards, continue to maintain maximum filtration in air handling units, and will encourage our schools to open windows to increase outdoor air intake where possible.

Our Commitment to Each Other and Our Core Values

Further information on this decision can be found in the COVID FAQ section on our website. I know that this decision can bring up a variety of opinions and emotions. Let’s use this as a chance to honor each other as human beings, not choose to devalue each other based on our vision of masking. Here’s how:

• Live our Core Values together. Sit down and have a conversation with your child(ren) about what it means to respect each other and the decisions each of us make around wearing a mask or not.
• Value preventive safety on behalf of the community - do not send your child(ren) to school if sick, and ensure that they are masked if not vaccinated or have had exposure.
• Give each other grace and love. Honor each other's choices and take it as a personal challenge to make others feel comfortable in all settings.
• Get clear with your child(ren) on your wishes for masking. Our school teams cannot be responsible for ensuring your child(ren) is/are abiding by your wishes during the school day.

I recognize that this is yet another chapter in the most uncertain two years likely any of us have seen in education. And yet, my confidence in the DSST community to accomplish our mission, to live our values and to support each other has never been greater. 

Thank you,

Bill Kurtz