Two hours early release on Wednesdays to help BCPS teachers

October 1, 2021 Reader Submission

Due to the lack of Substitutes, the School Division is making a decision to close schools two hours early on Wednesdays to allow for planning and student virtual assistance

FINCASTLE, Va. —
Starting October 20, and continuing through the end of the semester, Botetourt County Public
Schools will dismiss two hours early each Wednesday. We will resume our normal weekly
schedule when students return for the Spring semester on Wednesday, January 5, 2022;
however, it may be necessary to reevaluate our schedule based on the COVID and quarantine
numbers at that time. This change will impact the following days:
October
October 20
October 27
November
November 3
November 10
November 17
December
December 1
December 8
December 15
In an update to the Botetourt community, Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Russ said,
“Given the high community transmission rates, the shortage of available
substitutes, and the resulting impact in our schools, our teachers have been
covering classes during their planning periods while balancing an increased
workload to keep their in-person and remote learners on track. We are making
this change to our school calendar to provide staff with additional time to address
these unique circumstances. I sincerely thank you for your understanding,
flexibility, and efforts to support our remarkable instructional staff!”