Williamsburg-James City County Schools announced on Tuesday most students will continue to learn remotely until Feb. 1.
“We know that the consistent use of face coverings, frequent handwashing, social distancing, and thorough cleaning practices are essential to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” according to the WJCC Schools’ website. “We know that the more people who are vaccinated, the better we are as a community.”
“And finally, by looking at data from school divisions across the nation where students are learning in-person, we know that with strict mitigation strategies in place the transmission rate in schools is lower than originally expected.”
RELATED STORY: Remote learning updates for local schools
Starting Jan. 25, special education students, English learners as well as Pre-K students who previously had in-person learning return to school.
Elementary, middle and high school students will return with a mix of three virtual learning days and two in-person class days based on grade level starting Feb. 1.
On Jan. 19, teachers work at school for a “minimum of four days” in-person teachers and minimum of two days for virtual academy teachers.
SOL testing for “identified high school students” also starts on Jan. 19 and continues the following week with PSAT testing too.
“With stringent mitigation strategies in place and improving community health data, WJCC Schools is prepared to take the next step in our Return to Learn: Forward WJCC Schools plan,” according to the school division’s announcement. “If community health data does not improve or if school operations cannot be supported because of the number of staff who are ill or in quarantine, the timeline may need to be adjusted for individual classes, schools, or the division as a whole.”
According to the WJCC COVID-19 Dashboard, students and staff members tested positive for the virus this week with staff members currently in quarantine. You can view the data by each school here.
Here are the latest numbers for the Historic Triangle, courtesy of the Virginia Department of Health’s website:
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