Loudoun County Public Schools students will be attending classes and doing school work this fall, but it's not yet decided whether education will happen online, in classrooms or both, officials say.
Superintendent Eric Williams says that Loudoun schools will be ready to educate students for the 2020-2021 year, and officials are making plans for three scenarios on how to carry out instruction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
In one scenario, officials are planning for a return to near-normal, where schools would fully reopen with only in-person learning and without physical distancing requirements.
Schools could also reopen with a combination of in-person and distance learning with public health mitigation strategies. This second scenario would likely mean on a given school day, some students attend in-school classes while others participate in distance learning.
Loudoun County schools are also planning for a third scenario in which schools will not reopen, and distance learning will continue into the fall.
The CDC released guidance on Wednesday suggesting that schools remain closed through the first stage of reopening and employ social distancing at least through stage three, which could begin after at least four weeks of falling case numbers.
The decision on how to reopen schools will be condition-based, not time-based, Williams said. The school board is also awaiting more guidance from the state on the best way to keep students safe.
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Williams says where Virginia as a whole stands on its reopening plan will be a big influence on the of path Loudoun County Public Schools.
Loudoun County School's next step is to solicit feedback from parent, employee and community groups in June. Parents and students can expect an update on reopening plans at the end of June.
