City schools are returning to in-person learning

Eat up! NEWS Moving forward School board votes to continue in-person reopening plans By Brielle Entzminger However, 139 teachers and 24 instruc- for fear we will get locked out if we change reporter@c-ville.com tional assistants across all grades asked our minds later,” said Maria Stein. to continue to work remotely. Most said While the city’s current numbers are A fter nearly six months of remote learning, Charlottesville City Schools is moving forward with they were either high-risk, or taking care of a loved one who is. An additional 27 teachers and nine inlow compared to the rest of Virginia, health experts anticipate case spikes in the coming weeks due to winter weather and its plans to begin in-person classes at the structional assistants requested paid med- holiday gatherings. start of the new year. ical leave through the federal government’s “We will handle individual cases,” reDuring its virtual meeting last Thursday, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, sponded Atkins. But now, “in order to plan the Charlottesville School Board unani- which requires select employers to provide for transportation, make a master schedule, mously voted to allow the district’s their staff with paid leave for reasons re- and assign teachers, we have to know who’s COVID-19 advisory committee to con- lated to COVID-19. going to be in-person, who has elected to tinue working on its reopening proposal, Though the district so far has approved continue with virtual.” which received a stamp of approval from every complete request for leave, Charlot- During the rest of the meeting, board CCS Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins ear- tesville Education Association President members discussed class schedules for lier this month. Jessica Taylor accused administrative staff middle and high schoolers at length, taking Under the current proposal, preschool of not properly communicating with teach- issue with the large amount of asynchrothrough sixth grade will have in-person ers in need of ADA accommodations. nous learning. classes four days a week, starting January “Educators who submitted paperwork 11. Seventh grade and up will be at school twice a week beginning February 1, and should receive acknowledgment of receipt without having to make numerous fol“I would rather them do independent work the other days. low-up inquiries,” she said during Thurs- continue to be virtual The board will take a final vote on the day’s public comment. “There’s [also] then go to that model.” plan during its December 16 meeting. been a breakdown in understanding... According to a binding intent form sent One CEA member was given a choice to JENNIFER MCKEEVER, CCS SCHOOL out at the beginning of the month, 2,296 either provide face-to-face services for a BOARD MEMBER students, or 66 percent of the district, want student or resign. She chose to resign.” to attend in-person classes. Staff are reach- “We don’t want any teachers resigning. The district currently plans to divide each ing out to the roughly 17 percent of fam- COVID will not last forever. We’re going grade level into two groups made up of both ilies who have not filled out their form yet. to get through this,” said Atkins. “We need in-person and virtual learners. When one Because the district is currently using them. We want them on board.” group of students is in the classroom, their all of its bus drivers to deliver meals and Also during public comment, parents classmates in the same group will watch the transport special needs students, it plans voiced their concerns with the binding class live on Zoom. Meanwhile, students in to use CARES funds to contract addition- intent form. the other group will work on independent al drivers, who will help serve the 373 stu- “There are families like my own who are assignments from home during school hours. dents who said they cannot get to school choosing on the intent form to go in-per- Having far fewer live classes worries without the bus. son, even though it is not our preference, board members that students will not progThough COVID safety restrictions ress academically.

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In stark contrast to previous surveys, a majority of the district’s 470 teachers indicated they felt safe enough to return to the classroom.

Seventy-two percent of kindergarten through sixth grade teachers volunteered to do face-to-face classes, along with 65 percent of those teaching seventh through 12th grade.

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Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Rosa Atkins gave her stamp of approval to the school board’s decision to move forward with in-person classes at the beginning of the year.

“To me, that takes us back to last spring when the quality of what was happening wasn’t real good and we were all scrambling,” said school board member Sherry Kraft. “We’ve done so much work to provide quality instruction.”

But with the limited staffing available, asynchronous learning is impossible to avoid, explained CHS Principal Eric Irizarry.

“Every student’s schedule is so unique at the high school, and we’re the only high school. We have two and half chemistry teachers, we have one orchestra teacher, one band,” he said. “A student that comes into the building, they’re going to need to see all of those teachers for that day. There’s not a way to run a concurrent master schedule.”

Still, the board urged district staff and the COVID-19 advisory committee to look at different ways to deliver instruction during the times set aside for independent work, and present their findings at the December 16 meeting.

“I would rather them continue to be virtual then go to that model,” said board chair Jennifer McKeever of middle and high schoolers. “We are small enough to solve the problem, and not have three days of asynchronous learning.”