Loudoun Schools Superintendent Lists Reasons For Going Virtual

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Nearly all Loudoun County Public School students will start the school year on Sept. 8 participating in remote classes using electronic tools to access live class instruction, county school Superintendent Eric Williams said Wednesday in a message to the school community.

The school system, under Williams' leadership, must get students, parents and teachers up to speed on how 100-percent virtual instruction will work after the Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday night to switch away from its previous plan to offer students the choice of in-person instruction or distance learning.

After starting the school year with 100-percent virtual instruction, Loudoun schools will attempt to implement a hybrid in-person model in stages.

"Recognizing that the families of 38 percent of our students recently chose the hybrid option (in-person learning combined with distance learning), I know this is a disappointment to some families," Williams said in his message. "I also believe, and the School Board as a collective entity agrees, that this is the best, safest mode of instruction LCPS can provide at the start of the school year."

"First and foremost we must protect the health and well-being of our students, staff members, and the broader community, while fulfilling our educational mission in the best way possible during the COVID-19 pandemic," Williams said.

Following Williams' presentation at yesterday's school board meeting in which he recommended switching to an all-virtual start to the school year, school board member Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn District) made the motion to implement a full-time distance-learning model. After another marathon meeting that extended into Wednesday morning, the motion passed 7-2, with Jeff Morse (Dulles District) and John Beatty (Catoctin District) opposed to 100-distance learning.

The change in course comes three weeks after the board voted to endorse a hybrid instructional model that offered parents the option to send their children to school two times a week or participate in 100-distance learning.

On Wednesday, Williams listed the reasons why the school system decided to switch to 100-percent virtual instruction:

• We gained greater insight into the challenges of safe, in-person learning once we started providing in-person learning opportunities to limited numbers of students with disabilities on Monday, July 13.
• We have learned that the rise in cases nationally, particularly in the South, has delayed the processing times for COVID-19 tests, which undermines efforts to operate safely and effectively.
• Additional information from public health officials regarding when they would recommend student and staff quarantines and isolations, as well as school closures, clarifies the level of disruption to learning that would occur unless physical distancing and face covering recommendations are implemented with extremely high levels of consistency.
• As division-level administrators and principals across the division have worked on school-level plans, we have gained a fuller understanding of the challenges that teachers, other staff members and students would experience daily to maintain their safety while participating in high-quality, in-person learning.
• New data relating to child care and potential leaves of absence sheds light on challenges to meeting our staffing needs so that we can best serve students.

Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the Loudoun County Health Department, said Tuesday that if students and teachers cannot maintain six-foot distancing for in-person instruction, it creates a risk for spreading the coronavirus.

Speaking at a Loudoun County Board of Supervisors business meeting, Goodfriend said that no matter what school officials do, they will be able to stop only a percentage of sick people from entering schools because there are many students and staff members who are asymptomatic.

Goodfriend emphasized that the county health department did not make any recommendations to LCPS on whether schools should provide in-person instruction. The only recommendation the department provided was for the school system to maintain six feet of physical distancing if the schools decided to reopen, he told the board members.

The school board's decision to implement the hybrid model in stages better protects the health of students, staff and the broader community by enhancing LCPS’ capacity to implement crucial public health precautions, including consistent physical distancing and use of face coverings, Williams said.

Implementation of the hybrid model in stages also increases the likelihood that LCPS can meet staffing needs in order to better meet the needs of students. Concerns related to staffing include the availability of childcare for staff members, as well the ability to provide a safe environment so teachers can focus on doing their jobs rather than the potential risk associated with exposure to the coronavirus virus.

"Even if only a small percentage of school-based employees take leave or resign due to childcare issues or health concerns, it would threaten our ability to assign qualified individuals to school-based positions," Williams said.

RELATED:

• Loudoun School Board Votes To Implement All-Virtual Start In Fall
• Loudoun Schools Approve Hybrid Plan, With Full-Time Home Option