VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Monday afternoon, all Virginia Beach City Public School students - whether they chose Option 1 or Option 2 for the fall semester - were told to go back to virtual learning starting November 17.
Online instruction would last at least through the Thanksgiving holiday, a release said.
The school division said they made the call when the eastern region of Virginia reached a coronavirus "red zone" of new cases per date.
Monday, more than 2,600 new cases were reported in Virginia - the commonwealth's all-time single-day high.
About 15,000 students had just been reintroduced to physical classrooms on November 12.
The school said classes would continue - but teachers would lean on "patience and grace" to help students through another transition.
"Our principals and teachers are fully prepared to instruct virtually," wrote VBCPS. "All students are expected to continue with their schedules, lessons and homework, and grading will continue as it has during the school year so far."
The full release from Virginia Beach City Public Schools, which was sent out to families of students, has been attached below:
Good afternoon, VBCPS families-
The health metrics for the Eastern Region of Virginia have reached the red zone for cases by date. Therefore, per our Fall 2020 Plan, we will shift instruction to virtual for all students, both Option 1 and 2, as of tomorrow, Nov. 17, through at least the Thanksgiving holiday. This decision is based on consultation with Virginia Department of Health officials and in the best interest of our students and staff.
We have a robust plan in place that will do everything possible to keep our students fed and engaged in their learning for however long this closure is necessary.
School is in session
Our principals and teachers are fully prepared to instruct virtually. All students are expected to continue with their schedules, lessons and homework, and grading will continue as it has during the school year so far.
That said, of course, we maintain that patience and grace are necessary as we make the transition to all virtual learning. If you need assistance with lessons, please contact your child’s teacher.
School counselors are also available to support our students with non-instructional needs based on a schedule that will be provided by the school. You may contact any counselor through email or Schoology message if you have a concern or issue that needs attention.
If you are having technical issues, please call our customer support center at (757) 263-1111 M-Th 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or visit https://www.vbcpssupport.com/.
School building access
As of tomorrow, school buildings and administrative offices will be available to students and families by appointment only. If you need to pick up a Chromebook, medication or other personal items belonging to your child, please arrange to do so by appointment with your child’s school.
Special Education and Section 504
For students with disabilities instructed in the general curriculum, case managers will collaborate with general educators and ensure that students with disabilities have access to supports and any needed accommodations. Students served in early childhood special education classrooms and those instructed in adapted curriculum will receive learning materials aligned to their needs. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s case manager.
For students with a Section 504 plan, school counselors will collaborate with general educators and ensure that these students have access to supports and any needed accommodations where reasonably feasible. If you have any questions, please contact your school counselor during their virtual office hours.
General education students receiving homebound or home-based services will not be able to receive in-home support from VBCPS staff during this closure. These students will receive learning activities through the assigned school.
Food services
VBCPS will continue to provide breakfast and lunch meals at no charge to ALL children (age 18 and under) at all VBCPS schools. Breakfast and lunch are provided via the drive by/pickup model that was used over the summer, with bagged meals provided Monday–Friday, 10:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m., with the Friday bag containing food for Saturday and Sunday. Meals may be picked up from any school, regardless of where your child is enrolled. If a different pickup time is needed, please contact the cafeteria manager at your child’s school to make other arrangements.
Child care
We are working with our community partners to establish child care centers for staff and families and will share details on our progress in the coming days. In the meantime, please visit our Child Care Resources page for information and a map of existing facilities.
Staying healthy
Health mitigation strategies – wearing face coverings, frequent hand-washing, cleaning and disinfecting, contact tracing and physical distancing – are the proven way to keep safe and minimize community spread of COVID-19. Please practice these strategies at home so we can get students and teachers back into the classrooms as soon as safely possible. As the holidays approach, there will naturally be a tendency to travel and gather in groups. We hope that you will be mindful of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations as well as our own guidelines in order to #VBSAFETogether.
We will continue to monitor the health metrics for the Eastern Virginia Region and will communicate with staff and families when we believe it is safe to return to face-to-face instruction. We will communicate any change in status through AlertNow and social media. Please also continue to refer to our VBSchools website for updates and information.
Again, thank you for your patience and flexibility, and as always, thank you for your support of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.