All Virginia Beach students will return to virtual learning model
District makes decision after entering COVID-19 ‘red zones’
VIRGINIA BEACH — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise after Thanksgiving, Virginia Beach public schools announced Monday that all students will return to virtual learning.
The move comes less than a week after 1,200 students with special needs returned for in-person learning. Superintendent Aaron Spence had said those students were the most in need of in-person learning and that small class sizes allowed for more distancing.
Other students have already been virtual since mid-November, following a spike in cases then.
The system’s reopening plan, one of the most aggressive in the region, has been guided by the status of two metrics throughout eastern Virginia: the number of new cases reported each day and percentage of tests that come back positive.
Parents could choose to send their children back — when health conditions allow — and about 60% of the division’s roughly 67,000 students opted to do so.
In an email to parents and staff on Monday, the school district said both of the metrics for the Eastern Virginia region now fall into the “red zone.” Those numbers are currently about 477 and 10.5%, respectively, up from 380 and 7.7% a week ago.
“We understand the concerns and the frustrations associated with this,” Spence said on a Zoom press call Monday afternoon. “This has been frustrating for everybody involved, and this pandemic continues to confound us.”
He added it’s unfortunate officials are seeing such a growth in the virus’ presence in the region — and Virginia Beach specifically. “It’s very alarming,” he said.
All activities related to varsity winter sports are also postponed until further notice.
Starting Tuesday, school buildings and administrative offices will be available to students and families by appointment only. Safe learning centers will be closed.
Once the coronavirus trend for the region goes back to “yellow/ red,” the district plans to return designated groups of students with disabilities to class and reopen the
safe learning centers after seven days.
“Our goal has been and continues to be to have students in school, face to face — those who’ve opted for that — when it’s safer to do so,” Spence said.
“And that’s defined right now by those metrics.”
He emphasized that it’s a “community issue” — if citizens can stay safe and get the numbers down, students can come back.