AURORA, Colo. — Students in the Aurora Public School District (APS) will not be returning to in-person classes during the first quarter of the new school year.
On Friday, the school board voted to hold classes 100% online for 8 weeks.
Last week, APS became the second major metro area school district to announce that it would be delaying the start of the school year.
>> Video above: How to handle back-to-school stress.
RELATED: APS delays start of new school year
Students in grades 1-12 will begin on Aug. 18 and students in preschool and kindergarten will start on Aug. 24.
A spokesperson for the district said the first quarter ends on Oct. 8 and the first day of the second quarter for students will be Oct. 12. It is not clear at this point if students will return to the classroom on that date.
APS provided the following statement on Friday:
"During their June 30 meeting, the APS Board of Education adopted a resolution to follow public health guidelines in implementing a back-to-school plan. During tonight's meeting, the Board provided guidance to begin the school year remotely given the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in Adams and Arapahoe counties. We will continue our planning for rigorous remote learning for APS students in the fall and continue to plan for a transition to in-person learning when there is no longer a concerning increase in COVID-19 cases. The health and safety of our students, staff and community is our top priority. We remain grounded in science and public health guidance."
Once students return to the classroom, a plan posted on the APS website says that elementary, middle and P-8 students will have the opportunity to attend school in person for full days, every day through a cohort model.
A cohort model means that a group of students stays with the same group of peers and staff members for the entire school day.
Students in high school will have the opportunity to attend school in person for half days, every day through a cohort model and block schedule when they return to the building. This means that high school students would engage in learning through a combination of in-person and remote learning.
Currently, APS is anticipating that students in grades 9 and 10 would attend in person in the mornings and then learn remotely in the afternoons. Students in grades 11 and 12 would learn remotely in the mornings and then attend in person in the afternoons.
A full online option will also continue to be an option for students.
According to guidelines posted on its website, face masks, coverings, or face shields will be required for all staff while in school. Masks will also be required for all students in grades 6-12.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Coronavirus