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Phased Reopening of Virginia Schools - Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020 |
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 Last week Dr. Lane issued guidance to assist Virginia’s 132 school divisions as they implement the phased approach to reopening schools. The guidance document, “Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020,” includes recommendations to protect the health and well-being of students, and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on learning, during each of the three phases of the governor’s reopening plan.
“The commonwealth’s public schools face the unprecedented challenge of restarting operations and formal instruction after a mid-year shutdown and responding to the toll the necessary closure has taken on learning and on the social and emotional health of students and staff,” Lane said. “The governor — in consultation with public health authorities — has outlined a plan for reopening schools. ‘Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020’ provides detailed guidance and considerations for school divisions as they implement the governor’s plan and address inequities in our schools that have been either caused, exacerbated or revealed by the closure.”
The recommendations in the guidance document address challenges school divisions will face as they move toward resuming formal instruction and reopening schools, which have been closed to students and teachers since March 16. “Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020” includes best practices and strategies in the following areas:
- School operations, including COVID-19 mitigation strategies; health screenings for students and staff; and social distancing policies;
- Supports for students and staff, including assessing and addressing the social, emotional and mental health needs of all learners;
- Instruction, including equitable supports for all students; digital learning; and assessing and meeting the instructional needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English learners; and
- Communication with parents and families, including resources accessible to all families on health, instruction, social distancing and local reopening plans.
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Governor Northam to Make Juneteenth a State Holiday |
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Today, Governor Ralph Northam announced that he intends to mark Juneteenth as a permanent paid state holiday, starting by giving state employees a day off this Friday, June 19. Virginia has long marked Juneteenth by issuing a proclamation, but the date has not previously been considered a state holiday.
Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, the last of the former Confederate states to abolish slavery, finally heard that the Civil War had ended, and learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had made them free nearly two years earlier.
“Since 1619, when representative democracy and enslaved African people arrived in Virginia within a month of each other, we have said one thing, but done another,” said Governor Northam. “It’s time we elevate Juneteenth not just as a celebration by and for some Virginians, but one acknowledged and commemorated by all of us. It mattered then because it marked the end of slavery in this country, and it matters now because it says to Black communities, this is not just your history—this is everyone’s shared history, and we will celebrate it together. This is a step toward the Commonwealth we want to be as we go forward.”
“This is a big display of progress and I am grateful for Virginia for leading the way,” said performing artist Pharrell Williams, a Virginia native, who participated in the announcement. “From this moment on, when you look at the vastness of the night sky, and you see those stars moving up there, know that those stars are our African ancestors dancing. They are dancing in celebration because their lives are acknowledged.”
This announcement comes days after Governor Northam announced the state will remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee located on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Earlier this year, Governor Northam also successfully proposed ending a state holiday that celebrated Confederate generals and making Election Day a state holiday in its place.
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$66.8 Million in Emergency Education Relief Funding Announced |
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Governor Ralph Northam announced that Virginia schools will receive $66.8 million through the federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund to expand distance learning opportunities, fund services for students disproportionately impacted by loss of class time, and provide financial assistance to higher education students and institutions impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This funding will help Virginia provide high-quality instruction and continue the delivery of services for K-12 and higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Northam. “We are prioritizing this federal assistance to help address learning gaps caused by school closures, expand and improve internet connectivity, increase access to robust distance learning programs, and help students in need of additional financial assistance complete their post-secondary education and training.”
The GEER Fund, which was authorized under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, gives states the flexibility determine how best to allocate the emergency assistance to meet their educational needs.
Governor Northam is distributing $43.4 in GEER funding for the following PreK-12 priorities:
- $26.9 million to support short-term and long-term initiatives expanding high-speed internet access to all communities in the Commonwealth, including providing laptop computers and Mi-Fi devices for students without home internet access;
- $10 million to expand early childhood education and child care programs in the Commonwealth, especially for children with academic and social-emotional needs;
- $3.5 million to support the expansion of the Virtual Virginia online learning program to provide content for elementary and middle school students; allow teachers in all school divisions to use the platform to create, edit, and share content as well as provide personalized virtual instruction for all students; and expand the Virtual Virginia Professional Learning Network, in partnership with the Virginia Society for Technology, to ensure that educators and technology-support personnel have the capacity and skills to meet the demand for quality online learning; and
- $3 million to cover unfunded costs for the continuation of school-based meals programs while schools remain closed, including hazard pay for school nutrition staff.
“These initiatives will support efforts of PreK-12 schools to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our most vulnerable students and increase the capacity of local divisions to continue instruction and critical support services during future emergencies,” said Secretary of Education Atif Qarni. “We will also allocate flexible funding to our institutions of higher education that will allow colleges and universities to address the unique needs of their students. We trust they will maintain a focus on equity by distributing funds and services to students who are facing monumental challenges due to the pandemic.”
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VA TV Classroom Rebroadcast Available on PBS Stations |
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If you missed VA TV Classroom over the spring, you can catch up—or just watch for a quick refresher—this summer! WHRO TV will rebroadcast the popular program that features teachers teaching content for grades K-7.
eMediaVA is free to all Virginia public, private and home schooled educators, students and parents. Visit eMediaVA.org for these collections and more:
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Earth Science
This Earth Science video series takes you and your students through the course just like you’d go through it at school.
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Algebra 1
This comprehensive Algebra I video series covers all of the concepts in the Virginia Algebra SOL in short, easy-to-use video segments.
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Geometry
Join highly qualified mathematics teacher Cryshel Whitehead as she presents all of the concepts covered in the Virginia Geometry SOL in short, easy-to-use video segments.
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Partnering with Parents - Leadership Training Opportunities for Summer 2020 |
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 The training opportunities below are available to families of students with disabilities. These opportunities are offered by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
Parent Institute
August 20-21, 2020, Charlottesville, VA
An exciting opportunity for parents new to the world of special education. PEATC's Parent Institute is a great opportunity for Virginia parents to gather, collaborate, grow, and learn together.
Register for the Parent Institute
Parents as Collaborative Leaders (PACL) Basic
July 22-24, 2020, Staunton, VA
Join us for three vibrant days to explore and learn valuable ways for communicating with the professionals involved with your family. This training will focus on strategies for finding and using state and local resources for your family, as well as effective ways to impact outcomes for your family and others. You will also learn skills from other families who are navigating a similar path, as well as strategies for engaging families in meaningful dialogue regarding special education.
Register for Parents as Collaborative Leaders (PACL) Basic
Parents as Collaborative Leaders (PACL) Advanced
August 5-7, 2020, Irvington, VA
Participants will build upon the leadership and collaboration skills acquired in the Parents as Collaborative Leaders training. We will further explore ways to communicate our stories and demonstrate how effective leadership skills can lead to systemic change.
Register for Parents as Collaborative Leaders (PACL) Advanced
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#ICYMI: State Superintendent Joins Virginia PTA for LIVE Q&A on Reopening Public Schools in Virginia |
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State Superintendent Dr. James Lane joined Virginia PTA President, Donna Colombo today for a LIVE Q&A about the phased reopening of public schools in Virginia. The video will also be available for viewing following the LIVE broadcast for anyone that was unable to join when it aired: Virginia PTA's Youtube Channel |
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Resources for Phased Reopening of Virginia's Public Schools |
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The recently announced phased reopening of K-12 schools gradually permits in-person instruction to resume while prioritizing the health and safety of students and staff. In order to minimize the disparate impacts closures have had on students, this approach prioritizes the needs of students who have been most impacted by school building closures, and for whom in-person instruction is most beneficial.
- Refer to Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020 and School Reopening Frequently Asked Questions for related guidance from the Virginia Department of Education
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Per an order of the Public Health Commissioner, before entering Phase II or III, every public and private school in Virginia will be required to submit to the VDOE a plan outlining their strategies for mitigating public health risk of COVID-19 and complying with CDC and VDH recommendations. Those schools currently operating under a variance or who were exempt from the closure mandate may continue to do so, and have until July 15 to submit a health compliance plan.
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