Prince William County schools plan for fall includes in-person learning 5 days a week
Prince William County schools finalizing plan for fall
Prince William County schools are finalizing plans for the 2021-2022 school year, which will accommodate in-person learning five days a week.
MANASSAS, Va. - The reopening plan for this fall for Prince William County schools was released Wednesday night – and it includes details for how the district will accommodate state law and offer in-person learning five days a week.
READ MORE: Potential COVID-19 outbreak reported at Prince William County high school
Full-time, in-person learning will be the default once fall arrives – but families will still have the option of choosing virtual learning.
Superintendent Steven Walts says the accommodations will be a lot to coordinate, and he acknowledged and thanks his staff for all their efforts during the pandemic.
For students who attend in-person, they’ll need to physically distance to the greatest possible extent – putting a minimum of three feet between themselves – and wear masks.
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School buses will be permitted to have up to two kids per seat.
Prince William County schools plan for fall includes in-person learning 5 days a week
The reopening plan for this fall for Prince William County schools was released Wednesday night – and it includes details for how the district will accommodate state law and offer in-person learning five days a week. FOX 5's Melanie Alniwck has the lastest.
They will also have to make extra runs, so bell times will be adjusted.
Families choosing to opt for virtual only classes can do that the week of May 24 through May 28.
The superintendent says they will also avoid concurrent teaching as much as possible – meaning virtual students will be grouped together in virtual classes.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Thousands of Prince William County students return to the classroom
During a teachers’ appreciation celebration in Prince William County on Wednesday, teachers said the format is significant because teaching kids in-person and teaching kids from home at the same time is extremely difficult for all involved.
The district is also running into a challenge staffing unique high-school level classes like AP course – where there may be fewer qualified teachers.
They plan to incentivize concurrent teaching with extra stipends for the teachers.
Walts is currently in the process of retiring – and the new superintendent, LaTanya McDade, is expected to take over July 1.
He says they are in constant communication about all of the plans.