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The Henrico Education Association and HCPS Back to School Safely Facebook group, which had joined their efforts to advocate for safety by calling for virtual-only instruction in the fall, expressed their support Monday for the “online for the first nine” plan proposed by Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Amy Cashwell.
Cashwell recommended that nearly all students learn virtually for at least the first nine weeks of the school year, with limited in-person learning for English learners, students who receive special education services, early learners and other small groups. The School Board will vote on a plan for the return to school Thursday.
“We are grateful that Dr. Cashwell has listened to education workers, students, and families in Henrico and has made the difficult decision to recommend that Henrico County Public Schools reopen virtually for the first nine weeks,” a statement from HEA President Jeanning Chewning said on behalf of the organization’s board of directors, which will release another statement after Thursday’s vote. “In the meantime, we encourage our members as well as all educators and community members to remain engaged in this conversation and to stand in solidarity with neighboring districts to guarantee a safe and equitable reopening across the Commonwealth.”
Wrote leaders of the HCPS Back to School Safely group: “We appreciate the careful consideration of safety that went into this decision. We look forward to working with leadership to provide a robust learning experience for our students, especially our most vulnerable populations.”
Cashwell’s announcement came as teachers in both groups (and those not in either) were having second thoughts about returning to schools in person.
The HCPS Back to School Safely group had released a statement last Thursday saying it would insist upon a fully virtual return unless school officials could produce a detailed plan by this Thursday to address a long list of health and safety concerns associated with possible in-person learning.
The HEA surveyed members about a return to school and found that two-thirds of those who responded favored fully virtual learning, Chewning said. Fifty-six percent strongly disagreed that social distancing could be achieved in the current proposals for returning to school, and 25 percent somewhat disagreed. About 115 members answered the survey, she said. Chewing estimated that the organization has about 300 members.
About 63 percent of the 13,500 or so people who answered an HCPS back-to-school survey several weeks ago said they feel comfortable with their children returning to school once HCPS reopens.
Of about 6,300 staff members who responded to a similar HCPS survey, about 92 percent had signed their contracts and indicated they felt comfortable returning to employment with the school system when school reopens in the fall.
In its statement last week, the Back to School Safely group wrote that HCPS schools should return in-person only when it safe, which would require safety protocols — masks, social distancing, hot water and hand-washing stations, hand and aerosol sanitizers, a wide-spread testing and tracing program, and an action plan for if students or staff show symptoms at school — and a hybrid model to allow for distancing.
HEA also has called for a hybrid model when school is “safe to resume in-person instruction.”
Public schools are unsafe for groups to gather in, both organizations’ statements said.
“It is particularly unsafe to do so in our Henrico County Public School facilities; many of which have poor air quality systems, no windows, large student bodies, and overcrowded classrooms,” the Back to School Safely statement said.
If schools reopened at 50 percent capacity, they would exceed the Virginia Phase 3 guideline of 250 people in a group gathering, said Ryan Burgess, a Highland Springs High School teacher and a group administrator of the Back to School Safely group, which has about 3,400 members on Facebook. The group had a presence at the July 14 Henrico School Board community meeting at Glen Allen High School, with several dozen members gathered outside in the parking lot with signs urging a virtual return.
The group has been seeking clarity from school system officials about teaching responsibilities, whether in person or virtually. Its members also are seeking flexibility for teachers and families as they all try to navigate the virtual plan, and they said that the school system should seek creative solutions to community needs like childcare and food assistance.
The group itself is also seeking solutions, Burgess said, and HEA is doing the same, according to Chewning.
