By Cory L. Higgs
Patrick County School officials are working now to meet the anticipated challenges of reopening this fall. “The challenges will be great, but we will look for ways to provide the best instruction possible until we can have all students in the buildings and on buses,” Patrick County Schools Superintendent Dean Gilbert said.
Recently, Gov. Ralph Northam outlined a phased system to get kids back in the classroom for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year while navigating difficulties set by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The three-phased plan set forth by Northam starts with ‘Phase One,’ which continues remote learning as the primary form of instruction and permits minimal in-person options including an extended school year for special education programs and childcare for working families in school buildings. ‘Phase Two’ includes the expansion of options, including summer camp in school settings, and in-person instruction for preschool through third grade, and ‘English Learners’ – a program that is hard to instruct without in-person classes. ‘Phase Three’ permits in-person instruction for all students, with strict physical distancing that may require staggered schedules.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane also issued guidance, titled “Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020,” to help officials in each of Virginia’s 132 school divisions prepare to reopen. The document includes recommendations to ensure the health and well-being of students in the wake of COVID-19.
The recommendations in Lane’s guidance document address challenges school divisions will face as they resume formal instruction and reopen schools that have been closed since March 16. The document includes best practices and strategies several areas, among them: school operations; health screenings for students and staff; supports for students and staff; instruction; digital learning; evaluating and meeting instructional needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners; and communication with parents and families on resources accessible to families on health, instruction, social distancing, and local reopening plans.
Gilbert said the division will continue to follow the guidance from Northam, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make the decisions necessary to reopen. Additionally, officials will be reviewing the information provided to work toward a plan.
Brandon Simmons, chairman of the Patrick County School Board, said “the superintendent and his team will start working on all of the measures and see how they can make it work.” He said the information was still fresh and would take some time to process and plan accordingly.
“We will have to prepare for each phase, and no matter where we start, it will not be an easy task for (Patrick County Public Schools) nor any other school system in the state,” Simmons said. “One thing is certain though, we will take every step necessary to protect our students and all staff.”
Currently, classes are set to begin on Aug. 11, Gilbert said.
As of June 12, the United States accounted for one-quarter of all globally reported COVID-19 deaths, approximately 110,000 of 408,000, with two million confirmed cases. The following are reported cases in the region: Patrick (29 cases); Henry (188 cases, 3 deaths); Carroll (158 cases, 5 deaths); Franklin (42 cases, 1 death); Floyd (8 cases, 1 death); Martinsville (53 cases, 1 death); Galax (165 cases, 7 deaths.)
