Both Alexandria City and Fairfax County Public Schools are launching decision-making processes to consider sending select students and teachers back into the classroom, and now the Virginia Dept. of Health is giving them more information to guide those decisions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making, designed to “help communities better understand the risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in schools.”
Virginia Dept. of Health
The Virginia Dept. of Health released a dashboard Monday that visually indicates two factors: Total number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days, and Percentage of RT-PCR tests that are positive during the last 14 days.”
A rainbow-colored chart indicates the relative danger or safety of opening schools.
In Fairfax County, Virginia Dept. of Health data shows 101 new cases per 100,000 in the past 14 days and a 4.4 percent test positivity rate. While the test positivity rate has been going down, the Virginia Dept. of Health still considers this factor “higher risk” for students.
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Virginia Dept. of Health, Sept. 28
In the City of Alexandria, there have been 132.1 new cases per 100,000 in the past 14 days and a 4.9 percent test positivity rate.
Virginia Dept. of Health
In the majority of other, "secondary" metrics, Alexandria and Fairfax County are in the “green” zone (see charts at the bottom of this page).
Local teachers and parents report that while virtual learning is working just fine for some students, but other students are struggling. Asynchronous days — every Monday in both school districts when students are not on zoom but have independent assigned work — have gotten the most complaints from parents.
Still, some parents and teachers are wary of returning to in-classroom teaching just as flu season starts and national health experts warn of a “twin pandemic” as people start spending more time inside.
It’s the students most in need of in-person education who may go back into schools first. Fairfax County Public Schools officials have announced plans to bring back students who need specific facilities or services.
Students in Fairfax County high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses could return as early as Oct. 5, followed by preschool autism classrooms and special language needs students later in the month. The initial group of students returning to classrooms, in October, would be about 3.5 percent of students in Fairfax County and about 650 teachers and staff.
Some teachers and staff, even those who requested remote work due to health concerns, may have to go back, according to memo from FCPS to staff.
Fairfax County Public Schools special education teacher Susan Reidinger told Fox5 DC, regarding parents who really want their kids back in school ASAP, “I really do get how they feel, especially for some of these special needs kids. It’s really hard for the families, for the students, but I feel like the school system needs to show teachers that we’re going to be safe….”
Alexandria City Public Schools are also considering bringing back certain cohorts of students, starting with those most in need of special services or facilities, such as special education students.
The school system sent a survey to parents last week asking for their thoughts on reopening, with an announcement of some sort expected in mid-October.
Virginia Dept. of Health
Virginia Dept. of Health
