Dear Colleagues:

We are expecting guidance this week from Governor Northam and the state department of education on how schools will operate in the new school year as we continue to take protective measures against the spread of COVID-19 illness. Among the options we are considering is delaying the start of school until September.

There are several advantages to adding more time to our preparation for the new school year. We expect online learning to continue to be an important part of instruction, and teachers have said a few more weeks to plan and prepare for this approach would be helpful. More time also would enable our support staff to thoroughly disinfect all facilities and ensure that health supplies and practices are in place to keep classrooms safe throughout the day.

At this Thursday evening’s School Board meeting, we will be providing a draft calendar to board members as a starting point for discussion of various options. On Friday, we will be activating an online community survey so that you can participate in this decision process. We urge you to take this opportunity to share your views on the opening of the new school year. Your opinions will be shared with the School Board, who could make a final decision by the end of next week.

Realizing the impact our start date will have on you and your family, our goal is to give you as much notice as possible regarding when schools will open for the new year.

Additionally, we are expecting our Return to School Task Force to present guidance to the School Board during an afternoon meeting at 2 p.m. on June 18. We will be sharing those recommendations with you at that time.

As we complete what has been a challenging end of the current school year for us all, we want to thank our students, parents, teachers, and support staff for their incredible patience and dedication to learning. Much of what we have experienced these past several weeks will benefit our division in the future and, because of your efforts, we are optimistic 2020-21 will be a much stronger school year.

Please stay safe.

Sincerely,

Debbie

Debora Collins
Deputy Superintendent
Office of Student Learning
Federal Programs