CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Some students who opted for in-person learning returned to middle and high schools in Chesterfield Monday as part of the school district's Project Restart plan. While younger Chesterfield County students have been phased back into classrooms this fall, Monday marked the first time since March that middle and high school students learned in classrooms.
Due to COVID-19 that in-class experience included limited classroom sizes, face masks, and social distancing.
"They wanted to go back. They're a little apprehensive about all the rules and things but they understood," Chesterfield parent Emily Hartman said. "These upper-level classes are difficult and it's, quite frankly, hard to learn classes like chemistry and trigonometry and calculus online. It's not something that you can just log into a computer and learn. You need a subject matter expert to ask these questions."
Chesterfield Schools are using a hybrid model in which most students are in school for two days and learning from home for two days.
The Chesterfield School Board is expected to consider whether students should have an option to begin five days of in person instruction beginning later this month.
Also at Tuesday night's meeting, the board is expected to dissolve an appointed six-member health committee that was advising school staff regarding COVID-19 data and reopening decisions.
At its last session, some school board members said they wanted to take more ownership of the decision-making process.
The Virginia Department of Health is investigating nine COVID-19 outbreaks in schools across Virginia.
