Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Friday, September 3.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Four-week indoor mask mandate for WSD3 schools to begin Tuesday, September 7
According to an update from the superintendent of Widefield School District 3, there will be a four week indoor mask requirement in all District buildings beginning Tuesday, September 7.
The indoor mandate requires:
- All staff and students to be masked regardless of vaccination status.
- All visitors, workers and delivery personnel to wear masks while indoors regardless of vaccination status.
- Spectators for indoor sports or events to be masked regardless of vaccination status.
Prior to the four-week expiration, the district will reevaluate mask requirements to determine the risk of further outbreaks and quarantines.
For the superintendent's full update, click here.
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Harrison School District 2 implementing mask mandate
On Thursday, Harrison School District 2 announced they would introduce a mask mandate in schools starting Tuesday, September 7.
In a letter, the district said that over the past week COVID-19 outbreaks were reported at Sand Creek International, Sierra High School, and Carmel Community School.
The district said that their current positivity rate and the number of students and staff who have to quarantine is at .03 percent.
According to the mandate this is where masks will need to be worn:
- Indoors in District schools and offices
- before and after-school childcare
- indoor athletic events
- extracurricular activities
- family nights
The district said masks will not be required outdoors, other than waiting in line at the snack bar or restroom.
The district also says students who experience COVID-19 symptoms should stay home until they get a negative COVID-19 test or obtain a different diagnosis.
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KOAA News5's "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign
KOAA and the Scripps Howard Foundation recognize that an impoverished environment often leads to children receiving a lack of access to reading resources, a lower reading proficiency, and a struggle to adequately complete courses needed to transition into the world.
The "If You Give a Child a Book" literacy program focuses on under-served children between the grades of kindergarten to third grade as this age range is often overlooked by other efforts.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, children who do not read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school, and these numbers more than triple for children who experience poverty.
The best way to curb these numbers is to make reading fun for children. Per Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, a child's frequency of reading books for fun begins to drop from 55% at age 8 to just 35% by the time a child reaches 9-years-old.
In partnering with Scholastic Book Programs, the If You Give A Child A Book campaign allows children to choose their own personal reading materials that they can take home to start their home libraries.
Since its inception, "If You Give a Child a Book" has distributed over 500,000 books, generating more than 90 million reading minutes. Every $5 you donate will result in one free book for a student hoping to have a bright future.
If you're interested in helping out the children of Southern Colorado, you can donate here.
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State Fair events for Labor Day weekend
And don't forget, the Colorado State Fair is still happening at the State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.
The gates will open two hours earlier at 10:00 a.m. today through Monday. Keep in mind the carnival still doesn't start until 12 p.m. each day, but it stays open until midnight.
Tonight, country music singer Jon Pardi is playing at 7:00 p.m. at the Southwest Motors event center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
At 8:00 p.m. tonight enjoy The Toughest Monster Truck Tour as it takes over the Bud Light grandstand.
Learn more about this weekend's events and fair information with our guide - Everything you need to know about the 2021 Colorado State Fair
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Get your latest First Alert 5 Weather forecast
This morning is chilly and humid. Rain showers continued overnight in the region, especially in El Paso County. These showers are wrapping up this morning and temperatures are in the 50s.
This afternoon will be partly cloudy and we will see some warming but stay slightly below average. It will be a comfortable day overall.
There is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon favoring the Pikes Peak Region and eastern plains. There is potential for storms today to be a bit stronger than what we have had recently. Some hail is possible as well as strong wind gusts.
Looking ahead there is a drying and warming trend on the way for Labor Day weekend.
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