CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — School officials announced Wednesday that the Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane has asked Chesapeake schools’ superintendent to join the Virginia LEARNS Workgroup.
The group is designed to assess the needs of students and support schools as they provide in-person instruction and was developed in response to Governor Ralph Northam directing all school districts to offer some type of in-person learning by March 15.
Chesapeake Superintendent, Dr. Jared Cotton, and the leadership team have been engaged in safely returning students to classrooms since the beginning of the current school year.
As a result, Lane has invited Cotton to serve in a leadership capacity for the Virginia LEARNS Workgroup to assist other districts in Virginia as they prepare to return students to school.
“We know it’s critically important to offer a safe, in-person learning option for students. It is also vital that school districts make plans to address learning loss that may have impacted students over the past several months,” Cotton said. “It’s reassuring to know that efforts are underway to tackle these concerns across Virginia. I’m looking forward to being a part of this important work.”
According to Lane, the purpose of the Workgroup is to “…evaluate the ongoing needs of Virginia’s public schools and students as they conclude the 2020-2021 school year, and to provide high-quality, relevant resources and best practices to Virginia schools to support student recovery and remediation efforts for the summer and next school year.”