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Henrico Schools officials are working with the VCU Health System to determine whether ultraviolet stabilization units present in all Henrico schools (one at each elementary school and at least 4 to 6 at each middle and high school) could be used to sterilize the in-demand N95 masks used by emergency responders, HCPS Chief of Staff Beth Teigen told the School Board during its Thursday work session.
The idea came from a Henrico science teacher whose husband is a nurse.
Teigen also told the board that the school system has partnered with the YMCA of Greater Richmond and Henrico Education Foundation to prepare for possibly hosting child care services in the county's schools, if needs grow. The schools would house children of emergency responders. Governor Ralph Northam Monday called on daycare providers to partner with public school systems statewide to prepare for such possibilities.
Henrico Schools officials are currently distributing food Monday through Friday to students at 14 locations countywide, and Teigen said that they’ve been in touch with guidance counselors at each public school and the Department of Social Services to attempt to identify and reach other students and families who may have needs for food that aren’t being met.
There’s also the possibility that in coming weeks, local churches could serve as food distribution centers, Teigen said. Officials are investigating the possibility of providing food vouchers to students and families that they could use at local establishments, she said, as a way to help boost the local economy.
New learning opportunities coming
Though schools have offered virtual learning opportunities for students, Superintendent Amy Cashwell told board members that those won’t work for everyone.
“We know that every student’s needs cannot be met virtually, even with all the right materials and equipment," she said.
Some students are caring for younger siblings while their parents work or serve as emergency responders, Cashwell said, and the school system must realize that they may not be able to complete virtual learning exercises as a result.
School officials are working to devise other opportunities for students, including summertime face-to-face options and rolling virtual options that would allow them to catch up, she said.
Officials also are planning summertime events or "summer-camp-like" activities for fifth- and eighth-graders, who otherwise wouldn't set foot in their schools again before advancing to middle or high schools, Cashwell told the board.
"We will be offering some creative ways for those kids to reconnect them to their school communities and prepare to launch them into the new school year," she says.
Varina District member Alicia Atkins asked about the possibility of implementing a help desk hotline for students, and Cashwell noted that plans are in the works for a number of new educational assistance programs and more permanent learning opportunities, now that school has been canceled for the rest of the year.
