CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Hampton Roads School Divisions have the first week of virtual school in the books. Starting next week, limited groups of students in Chesapeake will head back into the classroom.
It’s a move the Chesapeake Education Association said they can’t get behind.
On Friday afternoon, Chesapeake school staff, students, and community members rallied in the rain. They waved soggy signs on the side of Greenbrier Parkway asking the Chesapeake Public Schools to listen up.
“We want our students back in the building, we want our employees back in the building, only when it’s safe,” said Chesapeake Education Association President Reagan Davis.
Davis said the school division originally planned to start bringing students back in a month.
“Educators of all age levels are reaching out to us with their concerns, because we are going into unknown territory,” Davis said.
Now, that process starts on Monday.
Superintendent Jared Cotton sent out a newsletter on September 1. It details how the division will start its phased approach with its On-Campus Continuum option students.
On September 14, the division is bringing back all level one and level two English Language learners and specifically identified students. They will come to school as scheduled.
On September 21, they hope to bring back Pre-K, kindergarten, and special education students five days a week.
On September 28, first, second, and third-grade students could be next. They would also attend school five days a week.
Some teachers said that’s too much, too soon.
“We need more time to get the personal protective equipment in place,” said fourth-grade teacher Katelyn Ritenour. “I still have not seen the plexiglass in a lot of classrooms and that is really necessary to keep our students safe.”
At the last board meeting, division leaders said about 65 percent of families chose the on-campus continuum option that returns students to school when health metrics allow. In the September 1 newsletter, Superintendent Cotton said they feel confident to start that process.
“I hope our school board will use science and metrics to ensure that students and employees are returned to the buildings safely,” Davis said.
On Friday, Chesapeake’s seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate was 7.9 percent.
The board meets again Monday. Davis hopes they slow down.
“We have not dealt with a pandemic such as this nature before,” Davis said. “We want to ensure our questions are answered and they have not been answered yet.”
The division said grades 4 through 6 are the next priority. They will assess the health metrics every two weeks at each board meeting.