SUFFOLK, Va. — In a Thursday night school board meeting, Suffolk Public Schools made the call to push back in-person learning because of a rise in COVID-19 cases across Virginia.
The vote was six in favor of delaying students' return, one against.
If virus trends show a decrease by the end of December, pre-Kindergarten students through fifth-grade students would go back to schools on January 4. The rest of the student population (grades 6-12) could go back to classrooms on January 11.
Community Engagement Officer Anthonette Ward said the decision gives the school board more time to watch coronavirus trends in the city - and it means they wouldn't be sending students into the classrooms only to immediately go on winter break.
Ward said the January approach would give students a "fresh start" after the holiday season.
You can watch the entire school board meeting here. Dr. Judith Brooks-Buck made the motion to push back the dates for in-person learning starting at 1:47:38:
Suffolk Schools Superintendent Dr. John Gordon said if COVID-19 trends worsen, those Jan. 4 and Jan. 11 start dates could be pushed back.
Dr. Gordon also stressed the importance of getting middle and high school students back into the classrooms to prepare for SOL testing.