Table of Contents
A group of local parents has mobilized and is attempting to raise $10,000 to hire legal counsel in an attempt to encourage school districts locally and statewide to re-open full-time for students in the fall. The Choices for Virginia Schools group so far has collected more than $4,100 from 63 donors.
The group’s organizers say they have retained attorney Stephen Piepgrass of Troutman Sanders to guide their campaign to re-open the state’s public schools full-time. They say that funds raised through their GoFundMe page will be used to explore possible legal options, including requiring school boards to meet in person rather than virtually and to ensure that all Virginia students receive equal educational opportunities. They’ll also be used to cover start-up costs for the organization, which will seek nonprofit designation.
The group’s organizers say they also believe that there should be a full-time virtual choice for families who want one.
Most public school divisions in the state, including Henrico, are weighing the possibilities of 2- or 3-day-a-week in-person learning for students, with the other days spent on virtual learning. Most divisions also are expected to offer full-time virtual learning options for those students and families who prefer them.
At issue in many localities is whether they can meet state guidelines while offering full-time, in-person learning for all students. Those guidelines include social distancing and other mitigation standards. Most school districts, including Henrico, would be unable to provide adequate separation on school buses or in classrooms, cafeterias or hallways to permit full-time learning for all students. That’s why the idea of dividing students into two groups that would attend on opposite days is seen as the most viable option.
School districts must submit their plans for in-person learning to the Virginia Department of Education, and many parents who are advocating for a full-time return to school contend that divisions have the ability to make that decision for themselves and don't necessarily have to adhere to every state guideline.
But officials with Henrico Schools and most public school divisions in the state believe that reopening in a way that doesn’t meet the state’s guidelines could open them to legal action if students, employees or others were to contract the virus.
Organizers of the Choices for Virginia group also are members of the Back to School Virginia Facebook group, which has more than 20,000 members – most of whom are advocating for the return to full-time, in-person learning for students in Virginia this fall.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
