Alexandria City Public Schools plans to begin the school year with virtual classes under a proposal released by the school system Friday.
The “Virtual+” plan announced by Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. in a news release Friday calls for 100% virtual learning and will provide all students with either tablets or Chromebook laptops.
The proposal will be presented to the Alexandria City School Board for a vote Aug. 7 and will be submitted to the Virginia Department of Education.
Alexandria’s school start date is Sept. 8.
Alexandria’s plan said virtual classes this fall will come with a “structured bell schedule,” daily live instruction from teachers and additional help for “vulnerable student,” including one-on-one and small group tutoring.
As far as classroom tech, students in pre-K through first grade will receive electronic tablets, and students in grades 2-12 will receive Chromebooks, the school system said.
The school system also said it plans to offer child care options “for those families who need it,” using the help of community partners.
“We are working collaboratively with our community partners to provide more specific details about these child care options and will share additional information over the next couple of weeks,” the release from the school system said.
The school system said it’s continuing to evaluate how to expand services under its virtual plan and is taking feedback from parents, students and staff through an online survey.
In addition, the school system said a committee will “reevaluate our constraints for reopening and assess” every nine weeks. “ACPS is committed to remaining flexible as the situation surrounding the global pandemic changes in the DMV region,” the statement said.
Alexandria joins several other school systems in Northern Virginia and throughout the D.C. region to announce plans for online classes this fall.
