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Regional officials are beginning to shape plans with a focus on in-person instruction for the next academic year as schools reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
James Lane, superintendent of public instruction for the Virginia Department of Education, told The Washington Times that he is optimistic about face-to-face classes this fall.
“Given the rapid progress we are making with vaccinating teachers and other staff, and what we now know about how schools can operate safely with proper mitigation measures, I believe that in-person instruction will be the norm in every Virginia school division this fall,” Mr. Lane said.
He added that many schools “are already looking beyond the immediate issues related to returning students to their classrooms” and developing plans to assess and address the pandemic-related impact on student learning and mental health.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has discussed extending the current academic year into summer and instituting year-round school to make up for learning loss.
“We’re seeing a decline in academic performance, and we’re seeing increased behavioral problems and mental health issues, so I’m glad that our children are getting back into the classroom because that is where they need to be,” Mr. Northam said this week at a press conference.
In early February, one-third of the commonwealth’s schools were providing online only instruction, which prompted the governor to call on districts to offer in-person classes by mid-March. He said Tuesday that every district has since submitted a plan to do so.
Public schools in Arlington County and the city of Alexandria heeded the call-to-action and began to bring students back in phases on March 2 for a hybrid of in-person and online instruction.
Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. said in an email that officials are working on fall plans that include in-person and online options in compliance with guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Alexandria schools have similar plans, according to spokesman Frank Bellavia.
“If guidance changes to allow greater numbers of staff and students to attend school in person safely, and as long as health metrics are at acceptable levels, [we] will look to hold in-person instruction five days a week with a virtual option for students who prefer to continue in distance learning,” Mr. Bellavia said in an email.
The CDC has said that full in-person instruction in which students mix freely between classes, share objects and do not follow safety protocols like wearing masks has the highest risk of spreading the virus. Online-only instruction is ranked the lowest risk.
The agency also says to maintain “healthy operations,” students and teachers should be divided into small groups that do not mix with others and the groups should alternate between in-person and online classes.
Meanwhile, D.C. Public Schools began to offer hybrid instruction in early February. Fall school plans have not been announced, but the school system said it “looks to offer much in-person learning as health conditions allow.”
The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) is skeptical.
“The WTU is hopeful for a full return to school, but we recognize that many of our students will likely not be vaccinated by the start of the 2021-22 school year,” the union said in an email. “It is likely, unless guidance from the CDC changes significantly, that students will be required to remain socially distant and not all students will be able to return full-time.”
The union sparred with city and school officials for months over plans to reopen this semester. This week, union members were among the 200 public witnesses that signed up to testify during a D.C. Council roundtable on performance oversight of education agencies.
In Maryland, Montgomery County was one of the state’s last jurisdictions to begin a phased return of students for hybrid instruction on March 1, which was Gov. Larry Hogan’s target date for all schools to offer in-person instruction. Although fall plans have not been announced, a group of parents and students sent a letter this week to the county Board of Education urging its members to start “planning now for a full 5-day a week return for all students in the fall.”
“A full return to classrooms is essential to fix the incalculable academic, mental, and physical damages our children have incurred from a year of virtual learning,” the letter states. “Learning in classrooms five days a week, engaged with teachers and among peers, is the education all American children need and deserve.”
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