VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - School board members are still listening to the concerns of parents.
“It’s not healthy to keep them at home day after day on their computers and isolated,” said Paige Caporicci. She has two children in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools district.
This mother isn’t alone, but leaders decided that Virginia Beach students will start the school off virtually.
Caporicci says, “I think the children should go back to school now. We are currently in yellow.”
The current numbers does show that the percent positivity rate in the area is declining.
“As of this morning is at 8.4%, which is down from 9.7% two weeks ago,” said one school board leader at a board workshop on Tuesday.
Leader are keeping an eye on the numbers, but they are moving forward with preparations for when schools do reopen for person-to-person learning.
At the meeting, leaders gave the board a presentation on what school will look like.
Classroom desks will be spaced out at least three feet apart.
“Every classroom will receive a roughly 3x3 plexiglass glass barrier, and those will be in place by September 18," added another leader.
On the first day of virtual learning, families will have access to a new app called Seesaw.
“Parents can immediately like their child’s work, and as soon as the parent likes it, it shows up at school and the child can see the heart on their work,” another explains.
Leaders say it’s not replacing Schoology; it’s just another way for parents to see what their kids are up to.
Teachers can now also monitor what students are doing on the other end of the screen.
“The teacher can see what the student has opened, so as you can see in this example, the picture in the circle is a student on Minecraft and not where they are supposed to be.”
Outdoor Wi-Fi will also be available when students go back to school.
“When the weather permits, teachers can take students to an outdoor learning environments for social distance and better air flow.”
The school district is also expanding their IT support hours for families who may need assistance.
They are also providing safe learning centers for children of teachers and essential city workers.
For more on the latest back to school updates, click here.
