VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — On the eve of the Virginia Beach school system reopening for face-to-face learning, there is real concern about whether schools should reopen.
Under the current plan, pre-K through sixth-grade students and some special needs students will be the first to be phased-in starting Tuesday. Students in seventh through 12th grade would come back three weeks later on Feb. 23.
The Virginia Beach Education Association represents about 1,800 school workers including teachers. VBEA President Kelly Walker claims many of her teachers have not been vaccinated, and is concerned about the plans to return some students to the classroom.
“We are concerned the vaccine is not readily available to our employees, especially teachers, so when they go back face-to-face, they have a sense of security in the classroom,” Walker said.
Walker says teacher flight is also real. From July to December, 90 teachers usually resign or retire. Today that number is one and half times that at 225.
“You have teachers who are terrified to go back when the numbers are so high. They are surging so high you have some afraid to go back to a face-to-face situation,” Walker said.
In a meeting Jan. 26, the Virginia Beach School Board was told more than 7,000 school employees were in the registration system for the vaccine. Some have already received their first dose.
Dr. Aaron Spence School Superintendent for Virginia Beach City Public Schools had a message for teachers.
“If you come back … with students, and we are following the mitigation standards that are in the CDC guidance, we can minimize the risk of transmission in our schools,” Spence said.
In January, the school board set two conditions in order to reopen: a seven-day decline in the eastern region’s percent positivity rates, and the ability to ensure all five of the main COVID-19 mitigation measures are in place.
Both measures have been met, officials said in a Jan. 26 board meeting.
Spence is aware of teacher flight. He says personal and family medical conditions have been considered, but also says teachers have a responsibility to be in class for face-to-face learning.
“Teachers need to be in school, teachers have to be there to teach in-person instruction,” he said.
Sixth-grader Colin King is one of those faces that will be in school Tuesday for in face-to-face learning,
“I could do better in the classroom because it is not normal to be virtual… In-person you get a better connection… If you are on virtual, you can’t make friends,” Colin said.
Colin is going to be in school Tuesday, and Spence says the teacher needs to be there too.
“But it isn’t a situation like we feel where someone can simply say ‘I’m going to do what I want and not what is required by my employer,’” Spence said.
Walker says many teacher union members are on family medical leave because they can’t and don’t want to be face to face,
Spence says the mitigation standards will protect against outbreak and spread of COVID-19,
“Here’s what we are doing… you wear masks, make sure we are staying properly distanced and making sure we are practicing good hand hygiene, making sure we are using hand sanitizer,” he said.
Spence admits there will be cases.
The health department last week said it’s now able to provide a dedicated epidemiologist and case investigators to assist in contract tracing in schools.
“We are going to see cases in our building because we see cases in our community, but the key for us is, will we see transmission in our schools? … I don’t think we will… We need to make sure we keep our schools open.”
He argues that will start to lead to normalization.
“Instead of closing down 85 schools if you have a problem in one school, we need to deal with that one school, so others can continue to operate as normal.”
Colin puts it this way.
“I’m looking forward to learning… I’m learning a lot… I think I’d be better at school because you see your teacher, you see your friends, and you are in class.”
Colin’s mother, Megan, sides with the school system.
“The schools can only do so much. A lot of power lies in the parents’ and students’ hands outside of school.”
We asked whether she wants Colin to return to school.
“I wish he would stay at home, but he’s in sixth grade and needs some independence to make his own decisions like whether to go back to face-to-face education… and he does want to go back,” she said.