VIRGINIA BEACH — While students have been at home this summer, schools across the division have been undergoing more than 250 renovation and construction projects.
Those projects include gym floor renovations, exterior painting of schools, heating and air conditioning unit replacements and perimeter fence upgrades.
Nearly all of these projects are finished aside from gym floor resurfacing projects at a few of the schools.
Three of the district’s schools have bigger construction projects that will stretch into the school year.
Take for instance John B. Dey Elementary School.
While construction is still very much underway, with a projected finishing date of the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there are changes to the drop off line and bus loop that parents should be aware of, said John B. Dey Principal Elizabeth Bianchi.
John B. Dey Elementary school is one of three schools undergoing major renovations and updates, the other two are Thoroughgood Elementary School and Princess Anne Middle School.
The updates and renovations at John B. Dey have shifted things around making morning drop off a little different for the past few years, Bianchi said.
The 2019-2020 school year drop off begins at 7:45 a.m.
Children being dropped off by vehicles need to stay in their cars until 7:45 a.m. when a staff member opens the door, according to instructions given out by the school.
Car drop off and pick-up will take place at the school entrance along Thomas Bishop Road.
That’s the new rear entrance of the school.
Cars will drive along the lot with the passenger side door facing the sidewalk, allowing for easy drop off.
They then will follow the car line and exit on the opposite side of the parking lot, officials said.
The school buses will enter along Great Neck Road, Bianchi said.
The most important thing to remember is safety, she added, and asked parents to be patient and to watch for the staff members directing traffic during the first week of school.
“This is a gigantic renovation with new spaces added,” Bianchi said.
Bianchi hopes to have all the students situated in the correct places by the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.
Keep up with morning school drop off information and more at all Virginia Beach City Public Schools here.
