Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have updated information regarding this topic. Our family is looking to leave DCPS but only for 5 day a week in person school.

SB 1303, which requires Virginia districts to have 5 days in-person in fall, passed the General Assembly and is sitting at the Governor's desk. Indications are that he will sign it.

Faquier County is already at 4 days/week and encouraging as many families as possible to do in-person. Loudon is pretty strongly pushing for 5 days in fall. Fairfax is dragging their feet on it, superintendent was on CNN claiming distancing was a problem.

I can’t find the actual text of SB 1303. Can you find it? I’ve read conflicting info on what it says in different articles and I cannot find what the actual resolution is that passed.

Here, it's linked from the bill site. You just have to make sure you have the right session (the special, not the regular).
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1303

You want the House Committee substitute, which is what's sitting on Northam's desk while he signs a bunch of other things right now.

Thank you!

It looks like this bill relies on undetermined metrics. Am I reading that right? This isn’t quite the solid bill I was hoping for. But maybe I’m not reading it right. The media seems to think this will get kids back to school 5 days a week.

I don’t see the references to “metrics,” but I didn’t read it super super carefully (it’s the morning!). It does allow for a class or a school with an outbreak to close for distance learning for a period of time. But that would be done at the school level, not at the county level.

Thank you. The reference to metrics is at the bottom of the page/bill. I see what you are saying - the difference now is that it is per school rather than per county. So they can’t just go online for the whole county anymore. It would have to be per school.

I do believe that this bill would get kids back in school full time at the start of next school year (I don’t think the governor would sign the emergency clause). I truly do. And it passed with large bipartisan support. The main question/hangup I have is how the districts will try to get around it or ask for “waivers” or something that’s not included in the text of the bill. That is what gives me pause for fully trusting FCPS/APS/ACPS on 5 days a week in the fall. I think PWCPS and LCPS and the ones further out like Fauquier will definitely get there in the fall, bill or not, but the closer-in districts seem to be paralyzed.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think the past year and the push to reopen full-time in the fall will lead to better funding for schools? So many are in need of renovations, HVAC upgrades, additions, flexible outdoor spaces, etc? Would love to see some real commitment to invest in our public schools to address some of the issues that arose during the pandemic.

I hope so. We also just need to straight up build more schools. The overcrowding is insane.

Does anyone think the past year and the push to reopen full-time in the fall will lead to better funding for schools? So many are in need of renovations, HVAC upgrades, additions, flexible outdoor spaces, etc? Would love to see some real commitment to invest in our public schools to address some of the issues that arose during the pandemic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to pinpoint what individual school systems will do is pointless. Falls Church City is small enough to be nimble. Besides that, everyone will watch FCPS which is the most powerful system and do what they do. Because it’s the safest, easiest option.

I’d say VA/FCPS aligned schools give you the best shot after Falls Church. Better than MoCo and DCPS. But FCPS is posed to give teachers collective bargaining rights in May. So anyone who things we have a 5 day a week open without a kids vaccine is delusional.

Quit with the anti-union rhetoric already. Schools in other states with real teacher unions - some very strong unions - have been open in person at least part time since the beginning of the school year. This has nothing to do with unions.

It has everything to do with unions. By and large, republican states with weak unions are 5 days a week! Good grief. You are trying to argue that the sky is not blue.

DP. I'm from CT, a blue state with very strong unions. My hometown's schools have been 5 days a week for months. Then again, they're not overcrowded and the schools aren't ancient health hazards like in ACPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have updated information regarding this topic. Our family is looking to leave DCPS but only for 5 day a week in person school.

SB 1303, which requires Virginia districts to have 5 days in-person in fall, passed the General Assembly and is sitting at the Governor's desk. Indications are that he will sign it.

Faquier County is already at 4 days/week and encouraging as many families as possible to do in-person. Loudon is pretty strongly pushing for 5 days in fall. Fairfax is dragging their feet on it, superintendent was on CNN claiming distancing was a problem.

I can’t find the actual text of SB 1303. Can you find it? I’ve read conflicting info on what it says in different articles and I cannot find what the actual resolution is that passed.

Here, it's linked from the bill site. You just have to make sure you have the right session (the special, not the regular).
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1303

You want the House Committee substitute, which is what's sitting on Northam's desk while he signs a bunch of other things right now.

Thank you!

It looks like this bill relies on undetermined metrics. Am I reading that right? This isn’t quite the solid bill I was hoping for. But maybe I’m not reading it right. The media seems to think this will get kids back to school 5 days a week.

I don’t see the references to “metrics,” but I didn’t read it super super carefully (it’s the morning!). It does allow for a class or a school with an outbreak to close for distance learning for a period of time. But that would be done at the school level, not at the county level.

Thank you. The reference to metrics is at the bottom of the page/bill. I see what you are saying - the difference now is that it is per school rather than per county. So they can’t just go online for the whole county anymore. It would have to be per school.

Anonymous wrote:Given what has been disclosed about the current reopening plan, I predict ACPS will not have students back five days a week this fall.

+1. We're planning to homeschool for K this fall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have updated information regarding this topic. Our family is looking to leave DCPS but only for 5 day a week in person school.

SB 1303, which requires Virginia districts to have 5 days in-person in fall, passed the General Assembly and is sitting at the Governor's desk. Indications are that he will sign it.

Faquier County is already at 4 days/week and encouraging as many families as possible to do in-person. Loudon is pretty strongly pushing for 5 days in fall. Fairfax is dragging their feet on it, superintendent was on CNN claiming distancing was a problem.

I can’t find the actual text of SB 1303. Can you find it? I’ve read conflicting info on what it says in different articles and I cannot find what the actual resolution is that passed.

Here, it's linked from the bill site. You just have to make sure you have the right session (the special, not the regular).
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1303

You want the House Committee substitute, which is what's sitting on Northam's desk while he signs a bunch of other things right now.

Thank you!

It looks like this bill relies on undetermined metrics. Am I reading that right? This isn’t quite the solid bill I was hoping for. But maybe I’m not reading it right. The media seems to think this will get kids back to school 5 days a week.

I don’t see the references to “metrics,” but I didn’t read it super super carefully (it’s the morning!). It does allow for a class or a school with an outbreak to close for distance learning for a period of time. But that would be done at the school level, not at the county level.

It did, now it’s been watered down

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have updated information regarding this topic. Our family is looking to leave DCPS but only for 5 day a week in person school.

SB 1303, which requires Virginia districts to have 5 days in-person in fall, passed the General Assembly and is sitting at the Governor's desk. Indications are that he will sign it.

Faquier County is already at 4 days/week and encouraging as many families as possible to do in-person. Loudon is pretty strongly pushing for 5 days in fall. Fairfax is dragging their feet on it, superintendent was on CNN claiming distancing was a problem.

I can’t find the actual text of SB 1303. Can you find it? I’ve read conflicting info on what it says in different articles and I cannot find what the actual resolution is that passed.

Here, it's linked from the bill site. You just have to make sure you have the right session (the special, not the regular).
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1303

You want the House Committee substitute, which is what's sitting on Northam's desk while he signs a bunch of other things right now.

Thank you!

It looks like this bill relies on undetermined metrics. Am I reading that right? This isn’t quite the solid bill I was hoping for. But maybe I’m not reading it right. The media seems to think this will get kids back to school 5 days a week.

The metrics were in VDOE’s update to districts in January. They are a matrix combining community spread levels and in-school spread levels. I guess VDH/VDOE could still redo them, but I don’t see it happening.

So with this bill, under the current metrics, most school systems would be allowed to be fully online? That’s the way I’m reading this bill. So the bill doesn’t really make school systems open for in person instruction. Is that right?