Virtual learning for Hampton schools extended until Feb. 8

HAMPTON — Students will not return to classrooms this month in Hampton, the district announced Monday.

Before winter break, students in pre-K, kindergarten and some students with disabilities had returned to schools as part of a hybrid in-person model. The district had paused in-person learning for two weeks after winter break, anticipating a surge in cases.

Students who would’ve returned next Tuesday will now return Feb. 8. Schools and offices will be open by appointment only in the meantime.

Monday’s message to families said that the district believes its mitigation strategies are working. Since Sept. 8, the district’s dashboard has reported 44 positive COVID-19 cases connected to buildings.

However, community case numbers are skyrocketing. The city reported 59 new cases Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Dashboard.

Over the past two weeks, about 23% of COVID-19 tests in the city have come back positive, which puts it at the “highest risk” of transmission in schools under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were roughly 791 cases per 100,000 people in the city during that time frame, also putting the city in the highest risk category.

Hampton’s announcement comes after Newport News delayed its reopening last week. Schools in Newport News haven’t held in-person classes so far this school year, and the district is waiting for the city’s case numbers to decrease before starting any.

Not all Peninsula schools are following suit, though. York County will bring back some 12th grade students next Monday, citing limited instances of COVID-19 being spread in school buildings. Poquoson plans to start hybrid instruction for all grades next week as well.