The Henrico County school board met for a marathon work session on Thursday to discuss and vote on a plan to reopen schools in September. After hearing from experts and members of the community – while also debating amongst themselves – the board voted unanimously to return to school 100% virtually in September.
The board was considering three options, the same three that many localities across Virginia are considering. A full five-day schedule of in-person learning, a hybrid plan that is a mixture of virtual with a few days of in-person learning, and a fully-virtual plan.
Amy Cashwell, the Superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) recommended to the board earlier in the week that students attend school 100% virtually to begin the year. “As heartbreaking as it would be to not see all our students in person on Sept. 8, it is clear to me that this is the most prudent recommendation at this time, based on evolving health information,” Cashwell said in messages to HCPS employees and student households.
The board heard from the Richmond-Henrico Health District Director Danny Avula during Thursday’s session. “There is no way to create a no-risk situation,” Avula told the board.. “Whenever we return to school, whether it’s now or next quarter or next year, the process will be, how do we do the best risk-benefit calculation?”
Avula also told the board that the return-time on COVID-19 tests is now is longer than a week. This would make it difficult to know which students and teachers have been exposed.
Marcie Shea, the Tuckahoe representative spoke before voting, saying that she heard from several people in the summer school program that virtual-learning has been going well. Shea also addressed the community directly, saying “We need you to wear your mask – we need you to stop social gathering.”
“We put health and safety first,” said Varina representative Alicia Atkins. “knowing we did everything we could do to save a life, that makes a difference.”
Chesterfield and Richmond have already decided to begin the school year in a virtual-only setting. Hanover County is attempting to reopen bringing students into the classroom for at least a couple days a week. Dr Avula also said that he believes the Governor will not hesitate to roll back on the loosening of restrictions if the percent-positive rate for COVID-19 inches closer to 10%.
As local newsrooms are losing writers each day, we are trying to fill the void to ensure that the public is informed and that leaders are held accountable for their actions. If you can chip in a monthly subscription of whatever you can afford, even $1, it will go a long way to helping us. Subscribe here.
