Monday Update: The number dropped from 23.4 on Wednesday to 21.7 on Monday. This is good news for the schools. Read more for context below:
Chesterfield County Public Schools began sending students back to the buildings for in-person learning in October. They began by allowing the youngest students to return first, then the older students arrived in intervals until all students who chose in-person learning were attending. Those students, however, might not be able to continue in-person learning if the COVID-19 numbers in Chesterfield continue to rise.
Chesterfield’s superintendent informed the school community on November 13th that his administration would request an emergency board meeting to switch the district back to virtual-only learning if the seven-day average among 100,000 residents reaches 25.
Early in October, the number was below nine. Today, the number is at 23.4.
“A decision to revert to a full-time virtual learning environment division-wide would be made in collaboration with the Chesterfield Health Department and is dependent on the Virginia Department of Health’s seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents,” said Superintendent Merv Daugherty in a letter to parents and teachers. “Working with the Chesterfield Health Department, we have identified that a seven-day average of 25 new cases or more would trigger school closure division-wide and a return to full-time virtual learning for all students. We would then ask the School Board to hold an emergency meeting to discuss timelines for a potential return to school, which likely would be after Winter Break or at the end of the first semester.”
Daugherty said in his letter that the school board would discuess when to return to school at the emergency meeting. “We would then ask the School Board to hold an emergency meeting to discuss timelines for a potential return to school, which likely would be after Winter Break or at the end of the first semester,” said Daugherty.
This is a developing situation, stay with Virginia Scope for updates.
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