Norfolk schools will bring some students back for in-person learning March 15

Almost one year to the day that schools closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Norfolk will bring back some students for in-person learning.

Norfolk had planned to reopen school buildings only after the city hit certain health metrics. But following pressure by Gov. Ralph Northam, who has leaned hard on districts like Norfolk that aren’t yet in-person, the School Board approved a new plan Wednesday night that would let elementary students return mid-March on a hybrid schedule.

“We would want all of our kids in school right now under ideal conditions,” Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong said. The “all” part isn’t possible yet, she said, but the district can make “some” work.

Byrdsong’s proposal, which was approved by the board unanimously, calls for teachers and staff to return to school buildings on March 1. As part of the transition, March 1 and 2 will become planning days for teachers and independent learning days for students.

Students would start returning to buildings March 15 on a hybrid schedule in which part of the class attends in-person Mondays and Tuesdays and the other part attends Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will remain an independent learning day for students.

The first phase includes students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, along with students with disabilities in self-contained classrooms and those learning English in any grade.

On April 12, middle school students will return, followed by high school students April 26.

Virtual will remain an option for any family that does not want to return in-person. About 21% of students have already picked the virtual-only option for the second semester, but Byrdsong said the district will accommodate families who want to change their preferences.

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The proposal includes changing some school start times by about 15 minutes to allow for cleaning buses between routes. The 8:15 a.m. start time will move to 8:30 a.m., the 8:55 a.m. start will shift to 9:15 a.m. and the 9:30 a.m. will move to 9:55 a.m.

Schools will be deep cleaned on Wednesdays in between the different groups of students. The district also bought “sanitizing humidifiers” for use in about 750 classrooms where airflow is a concern.

Board members also directed staff to create a dashboard that will publicly show positive student and staff case numbers by school as well as air quality and ventilation test results.

“If we want to get the buy-in and the trust of our parents and teachers, this is critical,” said board member Tanya Bhasin, who proposed the dashboard.

Byrdsong and school board members asked for families’ patience as they work out reopening kinks.

“Everything’s not going to go perfect. This is a new experience for all of us, with the pandemic. I hope everybody will take a deep breath,” board member Lauren Campsen said.

Sara Gregory, 757-469-7484, sara.gregory@pilotonline.com