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School responses in Colorado to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state


As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in Colorado schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:


Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in Colorado during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported eleven in-person schooling disruptions in Colorado.[3][4]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in Colorado .[5][6]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported a majority of schools were using virtual or hybrid learning in Colorado .[7][8]
  • July 20, 2020: The Colorado Department of Education released guidance for reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The guidelines contained separate criteria for elementary schools and secondary schools. Decisions about school start dates and remote learning would be left to local districts.[9]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 21, 2020: Polis announced that schools would not reopen for in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through April 30.[10]
  • April 1, 2020: Polis announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end April 17, was extended through April 30.[11]
  • March 18, 2020: Polis closed all schools in the state from March 23 to April 17.[12]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[13]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[14]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[15]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[16]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[17]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[18]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[19]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: July 14, 2020

Colorado released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on May 26, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on July 14. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

The Colorado Department of Education released school reopening guidance on May 26. Department of Education Commissioner Katy Anthes said she hoped the plan would bridge “the gap between having a complete patchwork but also providing some consistency. There’s a diversity of communities across our state and those things really do need to be taken into consideration rather than having a one-size-fits-all approach.” On March 18, Gov. Jared Polis (D) closed public schools through April 17. The state extended the closure on April 1. Polis ended the public school year on April 21. Colorado does not have a statewide date for schools to reopen. School district reopening dates in the state range from early to late August, though many school districts have not yet announced when classes will start. According to EdWeek, public schools in Colorado traditionally start the academic year between early and mid-August, with the exact start date varying by district. The state reopening plan recommends public schools follow the CDC reopening decision tree guidelines. The plan also requires schools to avoid reopening if the answer to any of the following questions is negative:

  • Will reopening be consistent with applicable state and local orders?
  • Is the school ready to protect children and employees at higher risk for severe illness?
  • Are you able to screen students and employees upon arrival for symptoms and history of exposure?

Context

Colorado is a Democratic trifecta. The governor is a Democrat, and Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state became a Democratic trifecta in 2018.

The following tables show public education statistics in Colorado, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Colorado school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $11,749 34
Number of students (18-19) 911,341 18
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 52,014 21
Number of public schools (18-19) 1,915 13
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 17.15 13
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 42.2% 37


Colorado school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $9,764,525,000 22
Federal revenue percent 7.4% 37
State revenue percent 45.6% 28
Local revenue percent 47% 18

Details

District reopening plans
In most cases, districts have the final say on reopening decisions, as long as schools comply with state and local public health orders. The Department of Education’s guidance did not contain additional or specific requirements for districts.

In-person, hybrid, and online learning
According to Colorado’s plan, a three-phase rubric guide is being developed to encourage schools and districts to flexibly move between in-person, hybrid, and remote learning schedules as necessary during the year.

Mask requirements
Under current health orders, teachers are required to wear masks in classrooms. The plan encourages students and other visitors to wear masks. In-person health recommendations and requirements The state outlined the following general requirements for schools:

  • Daily temperature checks, tracking, and symptom screening for faculty, students, and visitors entering the building.
  • Colorado prohibits gatherings of more than 10 individuals indoors unless there is a specific exception. The state has not issued an exception for schools.

The state outlined the following general recommendations for schools:

  • Use tools like the Health and Safety Considerations Checklist and the General Readiness Assessment for schools to ensure preparedness.
  • Identify district and school coordinators tasked with addressing COVID-19 Health and Safety Needs.
  • Encourage staff or students who are sick to stay at home.
  • If a student or faculty member tests positive for the virus, close the school for 2-5 days to disinfect and conduct contact tracing.
  • Increase hygiene and cleaning protocols.
  • Prepare other mitigation strategies (like mask requirements) when social distancing is not possible.
  • Designate an isolated health room for students and faculty exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

Transportation and bussing requirements and restrictions
Drivers are required to wear masks on school busses. The state plan also recommends:

  • Taping marks where students should sit in keeping with proper social distancing.
  • Implementing assigned seating.
  • Asking students to sit at least six feet away from the bus driver.
  • Load busses from back to front.
  • Increased hygiene and disinfecting practices.

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in other states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  4. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  5. ↑ Burbio rated Colorado's in-person index at 95.3. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  6. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 6, 2021
  7. ↑ Burbio rated Colorado's in-person index between 20-40. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 6, 2021
  9. ↑ Denver Post, "Colorado issues school reopening guidance as Jeffco teachers push back on return to classrooms," July 20, 2020
  10. ↑ Chalkbeat, "All Colorado schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year," April 21, 2020
  11. ↑ Colorado Public Radio, "Polis Extends School Closure Until April 30," April 1, 2020
  12. ↑ Colorado Public Radio, "Polis Closes All Of Colorado’s Schools Until April 17, Bans Gatherings of More Than 10 People," March 18, 2020
  13. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  14. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  16. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  17. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  18. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  19. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
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