October 1, 2020
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 42
Schools struggling with growing quarantines Hundreds sent home at multiple schools; superintendent wants regulations relaxed BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lone Tree resident Sam Jacobson, 67, rides on Willow Creek Trail on Sept. 22. He bikes that trail about two to three times per week. PHOTOS BY ELLIS ARNOLD
No Bike to Work Day, but cyclists roll on Denver-area event canceled in light of public health guidelines BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lone Tree resident Sam Jacobson, 67, rode down Willow Creek Trail as he often does, Bike to Work Day or not. Jacobson has not participated in Bike to Work Day, but the avid cyclist said he bikes that trail about two to three times per week along with other trails in the area. The week of Sept. 21 was dubbed “Bike to Wherever” week after the cancellation of the Sept. 22 metroarea Bike to Work Day in light of
public health guidelines. “For me, (biking) offers me opportunities to ride different trails, explore different areas,” said Jacobson, who started biking in the last 10 years for the cardiovascular benefits. “Biking also strengthens my knees, which allows me to be better at hiking.” Several cyclists rode on Willow Creek Trail near C-470 and South Yosemite Street on Sept. 22 during rush hour. That trail continues north in Centennial and south in Lone Tree. Instead of biking to work on a single day, riders were encouraged to bike rather than drive to work, to the store, to the park or other places that week. Due to the pandemic, the event had already been
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 17
SEE CYCLISTS, P7
A map of local trails, parks and open space sits near a crosswalk on the Willow Creek Trail. The trailway continues north into Centennial and south to Bluffs Regional Park.
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Littleton Public Schools continues to endure widespread quarantines across the district as students and staff sporadically test positive for COVID-19, leaving students, parents and teachers frustrated and overwhelmed. Between Aug. 24, when in-person learning resumed, and Sept. 25, the district has seen 19 quarantines, spurred by 19 positive cases. A cumulative total of 768 students and 103 staff at seven schools have been sent home for two-week quarantines so far this school year, according to district data. Because none of the cases have been shown to have been transmitted within schools, none qualify as an outbreak as defined by the Tri-County Health Department, said district superintendent Brian Ewert. The sporadic partial quarantines have left teachers reeling, said Amanda Crosby, the head of the district’s teachers union. “There just aren’t enough teachers or enough substitutes,” Crosby said. “Staff is absolutely exhausted.” Because the district adopted a “hybrid” model — a model that sees kids in classrooms just two days a week, spending the rest of the week online — teachers are on the hook to create lessons for the classroom and for students at home in quarantine, Crosby said. “It’s getting very difficult to do this job,” said John Solomon, a teacher at Littleton SEE SCHHOLS, P9