Virginia lawmakers pushing for mandatory in-person learning option
RICHMOND, Va. - A return to normalcy could be coming soon for students in the Commonwealth.
Virginia lawmakers have voted unanimously to move a proposal forward mandating all school districts across the commonwealth to offer an in person learning option for students.
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The amendment passed Monday morning and comes amid new CDC guidelines saying in person learning can resume safely.
FOX 5’s Tisha Lewis reports the proposal, if passed, would require all school districts across Virginia to offer and provide in person instruction by August.
House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn saying schools must reopen safely.
The CDC now saying it can be done with
- masks
- social distancing
- vaccination of teachers
- mitigation measures
The proposal that moves forward Monday does allow school districts to close if there’s a high level of coronavirus spread. Even so, it requires school districts provide either full in person learning or a combination of in person and distance learning.
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Virginia lawmakers saying this is the first step toward normalcy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Most educators agreeing that in person learning is most effective for students.
Even so, this new bill would still offer a full virtual option for families.
So far, of Virginia’s 132 school districts, only 15 are currently offering full in person learning — that number will drastically increase in the coming months.
This also comes amid growing concerns about students’ mental health.
Moving forward, the proposal still needs the full House to vote on it, the Senate passed a one sentence bill requiring each school district to make both virtual and in person learning available to students.
If all goes as planned, this would be implemented this fall.