Some York students to return to class Monday
YORK COUNTY — Some students will return to York County classrooms Monday after a pause following winter break.
A message from the district to families and staff Wednesday evening said that includes students who had returned to classrooms in fall — students in pre-K through sixth grade, some English language learner programs and some special education programs.
Students in 12th grade will start hybrid, in-person instruction the following week on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The message said the district is evaluating its status before bringing students in grades 7-11 back.
“We intend to continue following a phased-in approach for grades 7-11. However, the last few months have shown that as we bring more students into buildings, our staffing levels — especially our substitute pool — become more strained,” the district said.
“Therefore, we feel it is prudent to evaluate our status weekly before identifying
specific dates for grades 7-11 to begin in-person learning.”
York was one of many districts across the state to pause in-person instruction temporarily for a week after winter break.
COVID -19 case numbers are soaring across the region, and districts have taken a variety of approaches. On Tuesday, Newport News postponed its plans for in-person instruction indefinitely, while Virginia Beach’s superintendent told the School Board he wants students to return.
Wednesday’s message said the district is evaluating its health metrics and the strength of its mitigation measures when making decisions.
The district has had 109 total positive cases connected to buildings since Sept. 27, according to its case dashboard. There has been one suspected case of transmission in a school in the district.
The district, like others across the state, is anticipating new guidance from the Virginia Department of Education and Virginia Department of Health to inform reopening guidelines. But it also said that families should prepare for the possibility of their classroom, grade or school going remote.
As part of the district’s preparations for the second semester, which starts Feb. 1, it is surveying parents again if they want to join the hybrid instruction model or stay all remote this spring.
Forms are due by midnight Jan. 13.