RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Public Schools have released the initial results of a survey on whether schools should remain virtual or switch to in-person learning during the second semester.
The results found that most parents do not want their children returning to in-person learning right now.
Superintendent Jason Kamras says so far, roughly 80% of staff and more than 60% of families who responded are in support of remaining virtual next semester.
"I do want to note that, while our family data is becoming more demographically representative of RPS each day, it is still under-representing families of color, who make up about 90% of RPS but only 65% of survey respondents." said Kamras in an email to RPS families. "Our goal is to achieve a fully representative picture of how our families feel about the second semester, which is why we're keeping the survey open for the next couple of weeks.
Click here to take the survey which will remain open until December 6.
Kamras has said, along with that feedback, the Richmond School Board will look at health data related to COVID-19.
They will particularly look at the percent-positivity of virus not just city-wide, but by sub-group such as race as African-American and Latino communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and represent about 90-percent of RPS families.
For his part, Kamras said he is still not optimistic about in-person learning next semester.
The final decision about the second semester will be determined at a School Board meeting on December 7.
The second semester begins on February 8, 2021.
