Update 7/16/20 1:17 p.m.:
After Wednesday reports that Mayor Muriel Bowser would announce a “hybrid” of in-person and virtual learning for the city’s public schools this fall, the mayor suddenly reversed course on Thursday morning, saying she would delay her decision on school reopenings for another two weeks.
“We need more time to observe what’s happening with the [coronavirus],” Bowser said about her decision. “Depending on health indicators, we could decide that we’re only going to be able to start the school year virtually.”
Original:
D.C. Public Schools will return to school with a mix of in-person and online learning next month, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday.
An email sent to teachers from the Washington Teachers Union, obtained by DCist, confirmed the existence of a hybrid plan.
“Tomorrow, the Mayor and Chancellor will announce a plan to re-open our schools with a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning,” the email reads. “We do not yet have full plans for what teacher schedules will look like, but most teachers should be expected to return to a full-time, in-person schedule.”
Students will attend class in person two days a week and learn remotely the other three, according to NBC Washington, which was first to report the story. Classes are scheduled to begin on August 31. Teachers with health conditions will be required to ask for medical leave, per the outlet.
Mayor Bowser is set to officially announce the plan on Thursday. DCPS did not immediately respond to DCist/WAMU’s request for comment.
The plan was met with resistance from some educators and local officials even before the official announcement. Zachary Parker, the Ward 5 representative on the D.C. State Board of Education, sent a letter to the Deputy Mayor for Education, Paul Kihn, voicing his concerns.
“Even with the complexities of our present moment, we must prioritize safety, health, and life,” the letter read in part. “I know student learning has been greatly impacted during distance learning, and not all students have access to necessary equipment or support to excel academically outside of school, but how many teachers’ and students’ lives are worth the risk of resuming in-person instruction?”
D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all recorded their highest coronavirus case loads since early June on Wednesday.
The Washington Teachers Union email also urged members to sign a petition asking DCPS to provide detailed health guidance before schools reopen–which the organization said it did not yet have–or revert to a distance-learning-only model.
The news comes hours after Prince George’s County announced it would begin the school year entirely online. Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán will also propose an all-virtual start to the school year on Thursday.
The Trump administration has pushed for schools to reopen next month, and threatened to withhold federal funds from those that do not. However, he would need to notify Congress of such a move and would possibly require congressional approval, according to the Washington Post.
The decisions regarding how and when to reopen schools are also outside the Trump administration’s control, as they are made at the state and local level.
