VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach City Public Schools released a few scenarios on how in-school instruction could be conducted in the next academic year.
With the official school year coming to a close, VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence released these scenarios in a letter to students, parents, faculty and staff on Thursday.
In it, he outlined different possibilities for what a VBCPS student's education could look like in the near future with the ongoing pandemic.
Dr. Spence pointed to the planning for the next school year, stating "the decision on how education will progress is dependent on keeping students, staff and all Virginians safe and healthy. That ultimate decision falls to Governor Ralph Northam, who leans on the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for guidance, and I can assure you, as you read this very sentence, experts from those agencies are working on what the best plan of action is for our children."
Below are three scenarios for the 2020-2021 school year within the VBCPS system:
- Scenario 1
- Schools reopen as close to what we think of as normal, without significant physical distancing or other public health mitigation strategies. This scenario would mean that there has been a near-total decline in COVID19 cases and health authorities have determined that it is entirely safe to resume gatherings of more than 10 people.
- Scenario 2
- Schools buildings reopen with physical distancing and/or other public health mitigation strategies in place. This plan would likely include a combination of some face-to-face instruction for students along with remote learning. This is probably the most complex of the scenarios, as the possible variations are many, with each one having its own set of operational, logistical and financial considerations and challenges.
- Scenario 3
- Schools would remain closed, as they have been since March 17. Our Emergency Learning Plan (ELP) would shift to a Remote Learning Plan within a nearly all-virtual environment. Elements of the ELP would be bolstered and enhanced to ensure we provide a high quality and rigorous experience for all our learners—something closer to what might be experienced while in school, but still recognizing the challenges we face in doing so remotely.
Dr. Spence said these scenarios are being considered by school systems across Virginia.
He also noted that summer school would still be an option for further instruction with the use of remote and virtual learning. Students at the secondary level who may need to take or re-take a summer school course in order to graduate or move to the next grade level will receive direct communication from their schools.
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