Newport News schools delay reopening
Change comes as district case numbers reach tipping point
NEWPORT NEWS — Students will not return to classrooms next week, Newport News Superintendent George Parker said in a message to families Tuesday.
A tentative plan the school district outlined in November would’ve brought students in pre-K through second grade, some students with disabilities and some English language learners back on Nov. 11.
But that plan was conditioned on regional case numbers staying steady. Even in November, Parker told the School Board he was
worried about spikes after the holidays, ones that have since happened. Hybrid, in-person instruction won’t start until case numbers drop.
“This will position the school division to ensure a cautious and safe return to in-person instruction,” Parker said in the letter.
Hampton Roads schools are approaching yet another decision point as they try to navigate the pandemic. Most schools across the region have paused in-person instruction for a week or two after winter break.
Schools across the region have continued to report cases connected to school buildings as community case numbers rise. Some of the largest numbers have been in Chesapeake, which has the most aggressive reopening plan in the region. Students are set to return to classrooms there Jan. 19.
An ongoing outbreak at Cedar Road Elementary School is the one of the largest public-school outbreaks in the state, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s outbreak dashboard. In VDH’s latest update to the dashboard on Friday, 11 connected cases at the school have been reported.
The district’s case data dashboard shows 11 cases reported at Cedar Road and 100 across the entire district in the last two weeks as of late Tuesday.
Newport News has not had any significant in-person instruction this year, although staff had been required for several weeks to work from school buildings at least a few days a week in fall. Staff have been allowed to work from home since the end of winter break.
As of Tuesday, the district’s case dashboard reported 45 positive staff cases since the start of the school year on Sept. 8, with the last reported cases on Dec. 18. VDH’s dashboard does not include any public-school outbreaks — where the virus was spread between people in schools — in Newport News.
In a message to staff Monday, Parker said that staff could continue working remotely. Tuesday’s message to parents said school offices will be open by appointment only for the time being.
The district’s Return to Learn plan may resume once regional case numbers drop to lower levels, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines about opening schools. Currently, the city, Peninsula and eastern region of Virginia fall into the “highest risk” category for transmission in schools, given the number of cases being reported and the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive.
They city and region’s metrics have to fall into a lower risk category for the district to restart.
Parker also said that the district is awaiting additional guidance from the state and Gov. Ralph Northam, which he said is expected to come this week. Several regional superintendents have said in recent weeks they expect guidance soon to help districts make decisions based on metrics and school mitigation measures.
The Virginia Beach School Board met Tuesday to consider changes to its Return to Learn Plan. Superintendent Aaron Spence is pushing for students to return starting Jan. 19, saying that school’s mitigation measures will work.
The York County School Division said in social media posts that it will send a message to families Wednesday with updates.
Last month, the Richmond School Board voted to not bring back students in spring semester, the first major Virginia school district to do so. No Hampton Roads districts have announced plans to follow suit.