Alexandria City Public Schools announced earlier today that staff is recommending schools reopen for online-only classes in September.
The school system outlined some of the immense challenges it faced with maintaining social distancing with in-person classes in the falls, like a requirement that school buses operate at 1/4 capacity. Students expressed concerns that online classes could face similar problems as they did in the spring, but ACPS promised online classes would be more smoothly handled in the fall.
The move follows similar decisions from both Arlington County and Fairfax County, though there has been some pushback by figures like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
The Alexandria City School Board will conduct virtual public hearings on the matter on August 6 and 7. The board will vote on the measure on August 7 before it goes to the Virginia Department of Education on August 14. The school year is scheduled to start Sept. 8.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
