and last updated 2021-01-27 09:18:00-05
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS) elementary students are scheduled to return to face-to-face learning five days a week on Monday.
Some teachers and parents have urged school leaders to reconsider.
The Chesterfield Education Association (CEA) has called for all teachers and staff to get vaccinated before returning to in-person instruction.
âAs a parent, I absolutely understand the need for our children to be with their teachers,â CEA president Sonia Smith said. âWe got to make sure we are taking care of everyone.â
More than half of elementary students (52%) have requested to go back into the classroom, according to the school system.
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The marquee in front of Robious Elementary, where students are expected to return on Feb. 1. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News) VPM reporter Ian Stewart contributed to this story.
Chesterfield County only received 1,000 vaccines from the state Monday, a small fraction of its original request. According to a staff email from Chesterfield Superintendent Merv Daugherty. Chesterfield schools will only get 750 doses, forcing the district to adjust its vaccination efforts.
The email says the Chesterfield Health Department initially ordered 8,000 shots and expected to receive at least half of that, but instead they only got 1,000. CCPS surveyed staff to gauge interest ahead of ordering the vaccines.
Chesterfield School Board approves plan for some students to return in-person 5 days a week
Chesterfield School Board approves plan for some students to return in-person 5 days a week By NBC12 Newsroom | January 11, 2021 at 7:35 PM EST - Updated January 12 at 11:27 PM
CHESTERFIELD CO., Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield school officials say the latest research shows schools are not ‘super spreaders’ and they believe buildings can reopen safely with health protocols in place. That’s why the board voted Tuesday night to re-open classrooms for elementary students beginning Feb. 1.
Dot Heffron was the only board member who voted no, saying she just can’t choose to send students back when coronavirus cases continue to soar.
Chesterfield Changes Course, Beginning In-Person Classes
Secondary students, like those who attend Clover Hill High School, may not head back to school buildings until February. But elementary students in Chesterfield County got the go-ahead to return to a five day in-person class schedule. (Photo: Ian Stewart/VPM News)
Prior to Tuesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Merv Daugherty sent a letter to parents laying out a proposal to return elementary students to full time, in-person learning. He outlined how the next semester should look for the over 60,000 students if the board approves his request.
By a vote of 4 to 1, they did, with Dot Heffron being the lone hold out. Newly elected board Chair Ryan Harter says the board has followed the most recent and available information and relied on medical professionals to help guide their decisions.
What came next were three weeks of confusion and mostly silence from the school administration. From Nov. 9 through Nov. 24, Clark received four letters of reprimand from Falling Creek Middle Principal Sheryl Doswell, each citing Clark s failure to report for work. She did not receive a paycheck for the Nov. 30 pay period and has received notice she can expect her one to two next paychecks will be decreased.
In September, Chesterfield embarked on an aggressive return-to-school plan, bringing cohorts of students back every few weeks approximately 62,600 students in all. Comparatively, the Richmond and Henrico County public school systems began the year and remain virtual, though Henrico was poised to begin bringing some students back at the end of November. It later changed plans. Locally, only Hanover County started its school year with in-person classes for students and parents who wished to return.