School Board meeting on 6/11 will no doubt include plans for the Phases for opening school

School Districts will have to present plans for re-opening schools in the fall as announced by Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday June 9.

Botetourt county School Board meets on Thursday night. The meeting will be livestreamed as well as in person at 6:30 p.m. on the BXPS FB page.

Here are the phases from the governor’s office website:

june 9, 2020 phase guidance for virginia schools

The following guidance is intended to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission in public and private school settings, while supporting the resumption of peer-to-peer learning and providing crucial support for parents and guardians returning to work.

These recommendations should be implemented in accordance with the Forward Virginia Blueprint, any existing Executive Orders, CDC Interim Guidance for Schools and Daycampsand CDC Considerations for Schools, and in partnership with local and state public health officials. The school reopening phases are aligned with the existing Forward Virginia phases, through which the state will progress by monitoring public health data and key measures on disease transmission, healthcare capacity, testing capacity, public health capacity to trace contacts of cases, and other relevant factors.

The phased approach to reopening schools provides the maximum allowable flexibility, and schools may be more limited in their in-person instructional offerings than the phase allows. Community mitigation strategies (e.g. physical distancing, enhanced cleaning, etc.) will be necessary across all phases to decrease the spread of COVID-19.Guiding Principles to Keep in MindPer the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more people a student or staff member interacts with and the longer the interaction, the higher risk of COVID-19 spread.•lowest risk: Students and teachers engage in virtual-only classes, activities, and events.•more risk: Small, in-person classes, activities, and events.

Groups of students stay together and with the same teacher throughout/across school days and groups do not mix. Students remain at least 6 feet apart and do not share objects (e.g., hybrid virtual and in-person class structures, or staggered/rotated scheduling to accommodate smaller class sizes).•highest risk: Full sized, in-person classes, activities, and events. Students are not spaced apart, share classroom materials or supplies, and mix between classes and activities.

2 Therefore, schools should include mitigation strategies detailed in CDC guidance to promote behaviors that reduce spread, maintain healthy environments and operations, as well as prepare for when someone gets sick.

Phase I Allowable Programs:

Phase I is effective immediately, but is not intended to change the school division’s continuity of learning plans as they close the 2019-2020 school year

.Remote learning is still the dominant method of instruction.

School divisions may elect to provide in-person instruction for students with disabilities in both extended school year services and school year special education services, including private placements, with strict social distancing. Students will only attend such programs if the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team agrees it is appropriate and the parent consents. Virtual instruction may remain appropriate for certain students who may be challenged with adherence to the strict social distancing and safety guidelines as determined by the IEP team and the parents’ consent.

With the approval of the local division superintendent, or private school leader, accommodations may be offered for students to access the school building for critical instructional needs, such as accessing a secure assessment, if all health, safety and physical distancing measures are adhered to.

As is currently permitted, child care for working families may operate in schools but are subject to existing operational requirements for childcare programs and should be focused on providing programming/care to children of working families and limited to children in the local geographic area.

The State Superintendent may continue to consider variances for other in-person instruction on a case by case basis. Such programs must follow all mitigation guidance.No athletics or extracurricular activities may be offered.

Schools may continue to ensure provision of student services such as school meal programs.3 Health, Safety and Physical Distancing MeasuresSchools should follow operational guidance from the CDC, including enhanced social distancing measures, physical distancing, and cleaning, disinfecting and other mitigation strategies.

Physical distance should be created between children on school buses (e.g. seat children one per seat, every other row) limiting capacity as needed to optimize distance between passengers. In Phase 1, limit bus capacity to 10 persons to the extent possible. The number of persons in a classroom should not exceed 10, and physical distancing of at least 6 feet should be maintained to the greatest extent possible.

Other social distancing precautions should include, but are not limited to:

oRestrict mixing classes/groups of students.oClose communal spaces.

oNo large gatherings, assemblies, etc., per the Governor’s Executive Order.

oNo athletics or extracurricular activities.

Phase II Allowable Programs:

Extended school year and special education services that are allowed in Phase I may continue to operate.

Emergency child care for working families which are allowed in Phase I may continue to operateSummer camp in school settings may be offered to children of all ages. Programs should ideally be limited to children in the local geographic area.

Schools may offer limited in-person instruction to preschool through third grade and English Learner students given the unique challenges of providing remote academic and social emotional support to young learners and English language learners.

The State Superintendent may continue to consider variances for other in-person instruction on a case by case basis. Such programs should follow all physical distancing and mitigation guidance.

Schools may continue to ensure provision of student services such as school meal programs.

Extracurricular activities (such as clubs) may be offered if social distancing mitigation strategies can be implemented.

Athletics should be limited to individual or team-based practice, skill-building drills or conditioning activities that allow maintenance of physical distancing at all times.VDH recommends that no youth recreational/school sports competition take place in Phase II, unless physical distancing can be maintained at all times (e.g. individual swimmers showing up at scheduled times to have their event timed, etc). Competition that involves contact with other athletes should be avoided.

If socially distancing competitions are taking place, the following conditions must also be met:oOutdoor recreational sports are allowable if 10 feet of physical distance can be maintained by all participants and spectators at all times and all shared items can be disinfected between uses. The total number of attendees (including both participants and spectators) cannot exceed the lesser of 50% of the occupancy load of the venue (if an occupancy load exists) or 50 persons.oIndoor recreational sports (including practices and classes) may occur if 10 feet of physical distance can be maintained by all participants at all items and all shared items can be disinfected between uses. The total number of attendees (including participants, referees, coaches, etc.) cannot exceed the lesser of 30% of the occupancy load of the room in which the sport is being held or 50 persons. Spectators may not be present except parents or guardians who are supervising children. Spectators must wear face coverings consistent with any active Executive Orders and due to behaviors which may bring greater risk (e.g. cheering), it is recommended that spectators be separated by 10 feet of distance from other persons.5 Health, Safety and Physical Distancing Measures

Schools should follow operational guidance from the CDC, including enhanced social distancing measures, physical distancing, and cleaning, disinfecting and other mitigation strategies.

Physical distance should be created between children on school buses when possible (e.g. seat children one per seat, every other row) limiting capacity as needed to optimize distance between passengers. Children (such as siblings) living together may sit together on the bus. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet should be maintained to the greatest extent possible in all buildings. Other social distancing precautions should include, but are not limited to:

oRestrict mixing classes/groups of students.

oClose communal spaces.oLimited athletics and extracurricular activities.oLimit outdoor activities/recess to 50 people, with a priority on social distancing and restricting mixing of classrooms.

oNo gatherings (assemblies, graduations, etc) of more than 50 people (indoor or outdoor). Indoor gatherings should be held only as necessary, and be limited in duration.

Phase III Allowable Programs

In-person instruction can be offered for all students, however strict social distancing measures must be implemented.

Remote learning exceptions and teleworking should be options for students and staff who are at a higher risk of severe illness.

Mitigation strategies may impact operations and capacity limits. A multi-faceted instructional approach may need to be planned for Phase III.

As you can see, the restrictions are numerous and will require each division to submit plans to the VDOE . TheEducation system may open, but will look and be much different than on March 13, 2020 when it closed for the Pandemic.

–Cathy Benson and the Virginia Governor’s website