-
Good
evening,
as
you
know,
in
July
the
School
Board
unanimously
directed
that,
and
I
quote
-
"it
is
the
goal
of
the
Division
to
transition
to
a
50
percent
Capacity
In-Person
and
Distance
Learning
Model
for
the
second
quarter,
with
the
option
for
students
to
remain
virtual,
while
maintaining
flexibility
throughout
to
adapt
to
public
health
guidelines
as
needed,
and
(2)
to
adopt
the
proposed
Return
to
Work
and
Health
Plans,
modified
as
needed
to
adapt
to
the
Return
to
Learning
Plan
and
public
health
guidelines,
and
(3)
to
authorize
the
Superintendent
to
implement
any
additional
mitigation
measures
as
appropriate
to
accommodate
these
models."
-
As
such,
I,
along
with
our
entire
staff,
have
been
working
hard
to
ensure
we
are
fully
prepared
to
implement
the
50
percent
model
in
the
second
quarter,
with
the
"flexibility
to
adapt
to
public
health
guidelines
as
needed."
-
In
the
past
week,
the
Virginia
Department
Health
(VDH),
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC),
and
Prince
William
Health
District
released
new
public
health
guidelines
and
a
dashboard
that
directly
inform
my
recommendations
to
the
School
Board
for
a
"transition
to
a
50
percent
capacity."
-
As
such,
I
have
asked
Prince
William
Health
District
Director
Dr.
Alison
Ansher,
Associate
Superintendent
Denise
Huebner,
and
Supervisor
of
Student
Health
Services
Teresa
Polk,
to
address
this
latest
guidance,
and
to
share
with
the
School
Board
and
public
the
implications
of
the
latest
data.
(See
Pandemic
Health
Data
(PDF).
-
As
was
noted
in
the
data
shared
this,
we
fall
within
the
"Moderate
or
High
Risk"
category
as
defined
by
the
Virginia
Department
of
Health.
-
At
this
level,
per
the
VDH,
"in
schools
with
moderate
or
higher
risk
of
transmission,
specific
learners
should
be
prioritized
for
limited
in
person
instruction,
including
willing
students
with
disabilities,
English
learners,
and
prekindergarten
through
third
grade
students.
All
other
students
should
be
served
remotely.
A
fully
remote
option
should
be
available
to
all."
-
There
are
also
a
number
of
additional
operational
considerations
as
well.
-
First,
in
a
reverse
of
the
selections
made
in
July,
a
majority
of
students
now
have
a
virtual-only
preference.
Based
on
the
most
recent
ParentVUE
data
as
of
this
morning,
more
than
47,000
students
have
virtual-only
as
their
preference,
in
July
this
number
was
approximately
32,000.
-
This
is
an
increase
of
more
than
46
percent
selecting
virtual-only
from
July.
I
believe
this
increase
is
due,
in-part,
to
the
highly
successful
virtual
experience
for
many
families.
About
37,000
students
have
their
preference
listed
as
in-person.
-
Approximately
95
percent
of
students
have
a
preference
selected,
and
those
students
who
do
not
have
a
preference
indicated
will
be
considered
as
in-person
for
planning
purposes
until
otherwise
indicated
and
schools
will
continue
to
provide
outreach
to
those
who
did
not
make
a
selection.
-
Second,
it
is
very
important
that
we
have
consistent
expectations
regarding
which
roles
in
the
organization
can
be
granted
a
virtual
assignment
as
a
"reasonable
accommodation"
to
ensure
equity
and
fairness,
and
to
best
serve
the
needs
of
our
students
in
the
Return
to
Learn
50/50
instructional
model.
-
We
have
approximately
500
Tier
1
teachers
in
the
Division
who
have
documented
underlying
health
conditions
that
could
place
them
at
higher
risk
of
serious
illness
should
they
contract
COVID-19.
In
order
to
properly
staff
our
schools
in-person,
especially
at
the
high
school
level,
we
may
need
to
consider
allowing
Tier
1
staff
to
work
from
home
and
"remote-into"
in-person
classrooms
via
Zoom.
-
However,
allowing
high
school
teachers
to
do
so
may
create
questions
of
fairness,
if
we
do
not
allow
all
500
qualifying
teachers
to
do
so.
Allowing
all
qualified
teachers
to
do-so
may
require
hiring
large
numbers
of
long-term
substitutes
and
create
a
challenging
precedent
long-term.
-
The
Americans
with
Disabilities
Act
requires
the
employer
and
the
employee
to
engage
in
the
interactive
process
to
discuss
possible
accommodations
for
our
Tier
1
staff,
these
conversations
have
been
ongoing.
-
Third,
moving
students
and
staff
to
the
hybrid
model
without
adequate
time
to
develop
the
unique
skills
and
lesson
planning
necessary
may
disrupt
the
successful
virtual-only
model
that
is
currently
in
effect.
-
A
phased
approach
would
provide
more
time
for
teachers
to
be
trained
in
a
hybrid
model
and
to
practice
prior
to
a
full
deployment
of
the
50
percent
model.
-
It
is
important
to
note
that
this
approach
to
live
hybrid
instruction
is
a
new
development
only
recently
made
possible
by
the
investments
of
the
School
Division
and
Board
of
County
Supervisors
in
the
network
and
classroom
technology.
-
Fourth,
implementing
the
50
percent
model
is
an
extreme
logistics
challenge
for
our
schools
that
is
greatly
reduced
if
we
start
with
a
prekindergarten
through
third
grade
phase-in.
Retaining
the
current
virtual
model
for
high
school
students
in
the
second
quarter
will
permit
the
later
start
time
for
high
school
to
continue
until
we
bring
in
grades
beyond
prekindergarten
through
third
grade.
-
Additionally,
maintaining
the
current
schedule
during
November,
which
has
many
scheduled
non-school
days,
allows
a
more
continued
focus
on
teaching
and
learning
versus
implementing
in-school
logistics
at
a
period
of
heightened
health
risk
concerns.
-
Fifth,
our
IT
staff
have
been
working
hard
to
ensure
the
network
and
technology
is
ready
for
a
November
implementation
of
the
50
percent
model,
including
working
every
Sunday
throughout
October.
-
However,
additional
time
to
phase-in
the
50
percent
model
will
provide
additional
opportunity
to
implement
the
Digital
Equity
Plan
with
a
laptop
for
every
student
by
the
end
of
January.
This
will
also
allow
further
build-out
of
redundancy
within
the
network
for
100G.
-
Sixth,
due
to
capacity
needs,
six
feet
of
social
distance
may
not
always
be
possible,
and
as
such,
students
and
staff
may
need
to
wear
face
coverings
for
the
majority
of
the
day.
This
will
vary
by
school
and
class,
depending
on
the
number
of
in-person
students.
-
As
long
as
our
schools
are
in
the
moderate
to
high
risk
category,
the
Phase
II
recommendation
also
limits
groups
to
less
than
50
in
a
space.
The
Health
District
has
expressed
concern
about
anything
less
than
six
feet
being
maintained.
-
An
additional
health
consideration
is
that
students
will
not
have
access
to
water
fountains
during
the
day.
While
schools
will
have
bottle
filling
stations,
they
are
very
limited
in
number
within
each
school.
We
are
continuing
with
new
installations.
Currently
we
have
an
average
of
two
at
elementary
and
middle
schools
and
three
at
high
school.
-
New
guidance
was
also
released
just
this
week
by
the
CDC
regarding
the
transmission
of
COVID-19.
-
As
such,
based
on
this
guidance
and
operational
considerations,
I
recommend
a
transition
to
a
50
percent
capacity
that
focuses
on
returning
prekindergarten
through
third
grade
in
a
phased
approach
during
the
second
quarter,
along
with
a
continued
in-person
instruction
for
our
most
vulnerable
learners.
-
This
will
start
with
prekindergarten
and
kindergarten,
followed
by
subsequent
grades
in
a
phased-in
approach.
-
Based
on
the
recommendation
of
Doug
Wright,
supervisor
of
Career
and
Technical
Education,
our
High
school
Career
and
Technical
Education
also
known
as
CTE,
will
be
phased-in
for
in-person
instruction
in
three
phases
to
allow
students
to
begin
participating
in
the
hands-on/lab
portions
of
the
courses
for
three
hours
on
Mondays.
This
will
supplement
the
"book"
study
that
was
intentionally
planned
for
the
first
part
of
the
school
year.
-
The
three-hour
times
slots
will
be
8:30-11:30
a.m.
and
12:30-3:30
p.m.
-
Transportation
will
be
provided
as
needed
and
details
will
be
provided
closer
to
the
start.
-
I
have
some
slides
to
illustrate
the
phase-in
(See
Return
to
Learning
(PDF))
-
In
November,
the
first
week
is
focused
on
the
election
followed
by
cleaning
our
schools,
and
providing
teacher
workdays
that
will
enable
those
teachers
starting
in-person
the
following
week
time
to
prepare
their
classrooms.
-
All
students
attending
four
days
a
week
currently
in
the
first
quarter
will
continue
to
do
so
in
the
second.
-
Prekindergarten
and
kindergarten
will
begin
November
10
with
"House
A"
students.
"House
B"
students
would
begin
November
13.
-
Remember
the
House
is
due
to
the
50
percent
model
-
as
such
we
group
in-person
students
into
"Houses"
split
about
in-half.
Houses
alternate
days,
per
health
department
suggestion,
in
order
to
allow
time
to
monitor
students
who
attend
in-person
and
may
develop
COVID-19
symptoms,
or
should
exposure
occur
can
be
quarantined
via
contact
tracing.
-
This
start
for
our
youngest
learners
allows
them
time
to
adjust
to
learn
school
norms
and
the
health
protocols.
-
For
all
other
grades,
we
will
remain
the
same
as
first
quarter,
including
the
later
high
school
start
time.
-
For
many
students
this
will
be
their
first
time
in
a
school
building
and
riding
a
bus.
Starting
these
students
first
will
provide
the
opportunity
for
additional
staff
to
ride
the
bus
and
help
in
classrooms
until
they
can
adjust
to
their
new
routines.
-
We
also
know
our
youngest
learners
benefit
from
having
the
ability
to
have
a
tactile,
in-person
learning
experience.
-
For
CTE,
beginning
November
16,
the
first
phase
will
include
select
upper
level
trade
and
industry
courses
to
include
Auto
Tech
III,
Welding
III,
Firefighting,
Television
Production
III,
Landscaping
II,
and
Turfgrass
Maintenance
III.
-
Moving
beyond
the
Thanksgiving
Break
into
December,
we
will
add
in
first
grade
with
our
prekindergarten,
kindergarten,
and
current
four-day-a-week
students.
-
Beginning
December
7,
the
second
phase
will
include
Building
Trades
II,
Culinary
II,
Cosmetology
II,
Cabinet
Making
II,
Advanced
Cyber
Security
Systems,
Plumbing
II,
and
Electricity
II.
-
Moving
to
January,
we
will
add
second
and
third
grade
in-person
starting
January
12
and
13.
-
Beyond
these
groups,
I
recommend
we
continue
to
monitor
the
health
metrics,
with
a
target
to
return,
but
not
a
guarantee,
remaining
grade
levels
starting
in
the
second
semester
via
a
phased
approach,
should
the
health
metrics
fall
within
"Lowest
or
Lower
Risk"
category
as
defined
by
the
VDH
and
CDC
metrics
discussed
above.
-
In
addition,
the
next
phase
of
CTE
in-person
is
targeted
to
begin
when
the
Division
moves
to
the
implementation
of
a
full
50
percent
model
and
will
encompass
the
remaining
high
school
CTE
courses
which
will
be
in
person
at
that
time.
-
Finally,
I
want
to
highlight
just
a
few
key
operational
dates
to
illustrate
the
critical
deadlines
we
must
meet
to
successfully
implement
the
plan
for
the
second
quarter.
It
is
imperative
that
our
school
leaders
and
families
have
definitive
direction,
as
soon
as
possible,
in
order
to
plan
accordingly.
-
My
recommendation
to
implement
prekindergarten
through
third
grade
in
a
phased
approach
in
the
second
quarter
comes
only
after
great
care
and
thought
being
given
the
health
and
wellbeing
of
all
students,
teachers,
and
staff.
-
These
are
not
easy
decisions,
but
ultimately,
I
believe
that
Dr.
Anthony
Fauci
is
correct
when
he
said,
"Now
is
the
time,
if
ever
there
was
one,
for
us
to
care
selflessly
about
one
another."
-
I
believe
this
approach
provides
the
best
opportunity
for
continued
success
for
our
students
and
staff,
and
ensures
compliance
with
official
health
guidance
in
order
to
lower
the
COVID-19
health
risk
for
everyone
and
keep
safety
as
our
top
priority.
-
Ultimately,
our
employees
stand-ready
to
implement
whatever
direction
we
provide
and
I
have
no
doubt
will
give
it
their
all
to
make
it
as
successful
and
as
safe
as
possible.
-
I
thank
the
School
Board,
our
employees,
our
parents
and
guardians,
and
our
students
for
your
partnership
as
we
work
together
to
do
our
best
to
deliver
a
safe
and
World-Class
Education
for
our
students.
Watch
the
October
7,
2020
School
Board
Meeting