Kindergarten teacher Courtney Gunn conducted a virtual lesson for her class at Henrico County’s Seven Pines Elementary School last September. (Photo courtesy Henrico County Public Schools)
Reaching another milestone in the slow return to normalcy, students across the region will be going back to school in the coming weeks — for some, it’ll be their first time in a classroom in more than a year.
After Gov. Ralph Northam called on Virginia’s school districts to begin offering in-person instruction options by March 15, citing remote learning’s negative impacts on students’ educational and social development, legislation passed by the General Assembly this year takes things a step further by requiring divisions to begin face-to-face instruction for all students by July 1, though they can continue providing virtual options for students who want them.
Over the summer, Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover schools offered families the choice between sending their students back to classrooms full time or continuing to learn at home. The decision is more binding in some school districts than in others: Richmond students can switch to face-to-face instruction at any time, while the decision to remain virtual is a semester-long commitment in Hanover and a yearlong commitment for Chesterfield high school students and all Henrico students. Chesterfield K-8 students can attend a synchronous online academy for the first semester or the entire school year.
As of late June, 1,650 students were enrolled in the Henrico Virtual Academy, or just over 3% of the district’s approximately 50,000 students, while 490 Hanover students — 3% of the county’s students — were enrolled for remote learning. In Richmond Public Schools, 2,000 students were signed up for virtual classes — just under 10% of the district’s student body, though RPS spokesperson Danielle Pierce said she expects the number to decrease as students return to in-person instruction throughout the year.
Chesterfield County schools were unable to provide a breakdown of in-person vs. virtual enrollment by press time.
Virtual instruction will vary by division, though most will use a blend of live instruction and asynchronous work for students to complete at their own pace. The Henrico school system is launching its Henrico Virtual Academy, a new model that aims to mirror the traditional school experience for its students as much as possible. Families who opted for the program cited health concerns or personal reasons that led some students to perform better in the virtual environment, HVA Principal Garry Marshall says.
“There are other situations where it just might be a better fit for students, either for medical reasons or personal reasons,” Marshall says. “Some of our students have really thrived in that environment because of [fewer] distractions.”
For students who will be meeting face to face, school divisions say they plan to follow state-mandated COVID-19 mitigation requirements, which will likely include physical distancing and disinfecting protocols. Students and teachers are required to wear face masks while inside school buildings regardless of vaccination status, though exceptions include eating and exercising, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that students be spaced at least 3 feet apart. Additionally, Richmond will require all in-person staff and students to complete a daily symptom questionnaire.
Classes will start on Aug. 23 in Chesterfield, Sept. 7 in Hanover and Sept. 8 in Richmond and Henrico.
