Denver Public Schools students in the third through fifth grades will shift to remote learning starting next week as the number of COVID-19 cases in the city continues to rise, superintendent Susana Cordova said in a letter to parents on Tuesday.

In-person learning for those students will continue until Friday before shifting to remote schooling on Monday and continuing through the end of November.

The announcement came the same day Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced the city and county of Denver will move to the more restrictive Safer at Home Level 3 restrictions as cases continue to rise.

Denver Public Schools reopened its facilities to all elementary students less than a week ago.

In-person learning will still be available for early childhood education students, those in kindergarten, first and second grades, special education students and new students in the district.

Cordova said in the letter the “COVID risks for students in the early-elementary grades are also very low.”

Middle and high school students are remote learning until the next semester. The current semester ends Dec. 18.

“I am heartbroken that we are here. I believe that our efforts to gradually reopen our school buildings and educate and care for our children has been the right thing to do, and at the same time, it is clear that we need to balance this with the needs of our community to drive the COVID rates down,” Cordova said in the letter.

“There is real fear, anxiety and concern on all sides, regardless of where you stand on this issue– parents and students who desperately want their children to be in school, teachers and leaders who are concerned about their health and safety.

“There is no easy answer, but I want you to know that this balance — serving the students who pose the least risk and need in-person learning the most — while providing high-quality remote services to all others, is the balance that will serve us best in this difficult time.”