Courtesy of Fairfax County Public Schools
Students learn with their computers while attending school in-person in Fairfax in a concurrent teaching pilot program.
While Fairfax County pushes ahead with returning students to in-person instruction this fall, Alexandria City schools seem to be putting on the brakes.
Also in the past week, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) launched a special section for breakouts of coronavirus in K-12 schools on its COVID-19 data website. The dashboard shows an “Outbreak Pending Closure” at the private Episcopal High School in Alexandria and no outbreaks in schools in Fairfax County. Data is updated every Friday.
Fairfax County Public Schools sent a message to parents Friday noting that the “first three weeks of in-person cohort learning have gone very well and we have no incidents to cause concern.”
In mid-November, FCPS will open in-person instruction for the youngest students and those with specific learning challenges and support needs. At the end of November, grades 1 and 2 students will return, followed by additional grades through the winter months.
“As new grades open, our plan is to employ concurrent instruction for in-person students, a model in which students receive two days of teacher-led instruction in the school building and two days of teacher-led instruction at home,” the email to parents said. “This approach maximizes teacher-led instruction by allowing in-person students to ‘log into’ class on at-home days. Here is a video that demonstrates how a concurrent classroom will look.”
This means teachers will be asked to simultaneously support students in the classroom and students who are learning from home. Students who would like to stay virtual will be able to do that.
(The full text of the email is at the bottom of this article.)
Technology like document cameras, live broadcast cameras built into teachers’ laptops and stand-alone cameras will be used to do this. (The video below shows students at physically-distanced desks in the classroom with their laptops; you can also watch it on YouTube here.)
While many teachers are eager to see their students in person, many teachers are very concerned about the logistics of simultaneously supporting students online and in person.
In a separate email to FCPS staff, school system officials told teachers who do not feel comfortable returning to the classroom that they may ultimately need to take an unpaid leave of absence, resign or retire if their Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations request is not approved. The Fairfax Education Association, the largest teachers union in Fairfax County, is pushing for students and teachers to continue with virtual education.
City of Alexandria Proceeds with Caution
Meanwhile, in the City of Alexandria, school system officials seem to be putting the brakes on opening schools for in-person instruction.
According to an ACPS Express email sent to parents Thursday, the school board voted to continue moving forward with a plan to help the most vulnerable students with disabilities, English learners and other students who need in-person instruction.
However, the email also said, “We concluded that presently, due to constraints of building capacity and staff, we would only be able to bring back the remainder of the K-5 and 6-8 students, one day a week. As a result, we made a decision that one day a week would be impractical to implement and not a good option for students at this time. To that end, we will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff, and provide the best educational programming possible during these unprecedented and difficult times.”
The ACPS Board and Superintendent Dr. Gregory Hutchings, Jr., are continuously looking at data and adjusting plans accordingly. It remains possible that students in grades K-5 who want to return to school buildings might be able to do so in late January, but much depends on the trajectory of coronavirus and the coming flu season. Virginia is one of the few states in the nation that is not considered a “hot spot” for coronavirus infections. Although infections are up slightly compared to a week ago, Virginia is significantly lower than states like Wisconsin where the virus is nearly out of control.
Still, Hutchings told CNN this week that bringing students back will be quite difficult.
As ACPS continues with its Virtual Plus remote learning plans, ACPS is also working on ways to give students less screen time through distributing educational packets and worksheets, according to the recently-updated FAQs website.
The full ACPS Express newsletter from this week is available here.
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Email to Parents from FCPS, Oct. 23:
Dear Parents and FCPS Staff,
Our first three weeks of in-person cohort learning have gone very well, and we have had no incidents to cause concern. We are bringing back additional groups of students as we continue to meet the health and operational metrics that have been established for in-person instruction including low transmission rates, mitigation strategies, planned response for confirmed cases, and availability of teachers and staff.
On Monday, November 16, we will open in-person cohort instruction for Early Head Start, PreK, and Kindergarten, Intensive Support Needs, and Specialized Center-based Programs - Special Ed (Group 5). Then on Monday, November 30, in-person cohort learning will begin for Grades 1-2, and Specialized Career Centers – Special Ed (Group 6).
As new grades open, our plan is to employ concurrent instruction for in-person students, a model in which students receive two days of teacher-led instruction in the school building and two days of teacher-led instruction at home. We have concurrent instruction pilots underway in several of our schools and I will bring back to the School Board at their Nov. 12 meeting an update on this instructional method.
This approach maximizes teacher-led instruction by allowing in-person students to “log into” class on at-home days. Here is a video that demonstrates how a concurrent classroom will look.
FCPS will continue to honor family choice in the student learning format. Schools will be contacting parents and caregivers to reconfirm the choices made in July. Based on your experience with virtual learning, you can choose to remain all-virtual or choose the concurrent model of two days in person and two days online. If your circumstances have changed, we will try to accommodate your request based on staff and space availability. As we transition to in-person instruction, some students may experience a change in schedule or class assignment based on staffing availability.
In either format, Mondays will be a full day of independent learning for students to give our teachers more time to prepare and plan the week’s lessons. This will begin on Monday, November 9, 2020 for Group 5 and on November 16, 2020 for Group 6. November 12 and 13 will be teacher workdays and independent learning days for Group 5 students to give our teachers time to prepare and plan for in-person instruction. November 20, 23, and 24 will be teacher workdays and independent learning days for Group 6 students.
As we look ahead, my recommendation for the rest of our students is to resume in-person instruction on the following schedule:
(Group 7) Jan. 4: Elementary School Students in Grades 3-6, Secondary Public Day Programs—Spec. Ed. (Burke MS, Cedar Lane, Quander Rd.) and Davis & Pulley Center (students w/ target learner profile)
(Group 8) Jan. 26: Middle and High School Students in Grades 6-12 and Davis & Pulley Career Centers. Middle school students in Grade 6 at Holmes, Poe, and Glasgow will be included in this group.
The School Board has directed us to come back with a plan on Nov. 12 that could possibly bring back Groups 7 and 8 for in-person instruction earlier than the current schedule.
We are returning to in-person instruction in a gradual and measured manner. It is our plan and hope to provide all students with in-person learning no later than the beginning of the second semester in February. We continue to monitor all of the metrics that apply, and will keep you informed as we continue through the first semester. I encourage you to review the return to school update we presented to the School Board last week. I greatly appreciate the partnership with the School Board whose members are actively engaged in providing oversight during this process.
Thank you for your many messages of understanding and support. Thank you, in particular, for all you are doing to help FCPS students succeed throughout this very challenging time.
Sincerely,
Scott Brabrand, SuperintendentFairfax County Public Schools
