Northam Calls For Some In-Person Learning By Mid-March

VIRGINIA — On Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam named March 15 as the date for all K-12 school divisions to make some form of in-person learning an option, a year after the governor ordered schools to close on March 13, 2020. Northam said he talked with superintendents Friday morning and expected school divisions will "come on board."

"It's time for this to happen. It's critical to prevent greater learning loss and to support our children's health and wellbeing," said Northam.

The direction from the governor comes after the state health and education departments put out interim guidance in mid-January for the safe reopening of schools. Northam cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study indicating COVID-19 exposure risk and transmission is low in school settings with proper health and safety protocols. Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Joe Biden have also indicated support for safe reopening of schools.

"When school divisions were planning this school year, there was a lot of uncertainty," said Northam at a Friday news conference. "There were no simple or easy decisions, not for school administrators, teachers or parents. But we've seen more data now, and it suggests that schools don't have the kind of rapid spread that we've seen in some other congregate settings. That tells us it's time to find a path forward to in-person learning."

Along with calling for some in-person learning to return, the governor also encouraged school divisions to make summer school an option.

"This won't be mandatory, but it definitely needs to be an option. Our children need to catch up to be ready in the fall," said Northam.

Northam said in-person learning won't look the same at every school division, and it won't be the same as pre-pandemic times. The state's health department recommends school divisions use the CDC Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making and the state's interim guidance to make reopening decisions. Virginia has a school metrics dashboard showing CDC core indicators for each locality.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, 15 school divisions have in-person instruction, 41 are partially in person (four or more days for some students), and 34 are hybrid or partially hybrid. There are 42 school divisions that remain fully virtual. School districts in Northern Virginia recently announced plans to implement hybrid learning.

The governor noted the uncertainty and sacrifices students, their families, teachers and school staff have endured in the 11 months of school closures. In addition to highlighting impacts on learning losses, he said pediatricians have told him about increases in behavioral problems, mental health problems and even substance abuse among patients.

"Virginia’s students and their learning have been dramatically impacted due to school building closures over the last year," said James Lane, Virginia state superintendent of public instruction, in a statement. "By providing more in-person instructional opportunities, while implementing strong and consistent health mitigation measures, we can successfully support students’ academic growth and social emotional well-being. We are grateful for the divisions and schools already providing these opportunities in accordance with state guidance and look forward to working alongside others to ensure students and families have this option."

At Friday's news conference, Anthony Swann, a fifth grade teacher in Franklin County and the 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year, voiced support for some form of in-person instruction. He said when Franklin County Public Schools implemented a mix of virtual and in-person school days, he noticed there weren't "true accountability measures" to ensure his students were learning on virtual days.

"I found that when a lot of my students were at home on virtual days, they would not do the work. Once they returned to school, I had to play catch-up with them instead of being able to move forward with instruction and curriculum," said Swann. "Not only will in-person instruction help them academically, but it will also help our students with their social and emotional needs."

Swann said the push for in-person learning is why teachers were among the priority groups for the vaccine. He got his vaccine Wednesday and encouraged others to do the same.

"I encourage all educators to get your vaccine so that we can serve all of our children in person in a safe manner," said Swann.