Chesterfield Schools: Spike in cases could trigger return to remote learning

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield County Schools parents got a note Friday night saying the district is closely monitoring the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the commonwealth.

Officials say that if an average of 25 new cases per 100,000 residents is identified within a seven-day period, it would trigger a school closure district-wide. That means all students would return to full-time virtual learning, except for Cohort 1 students.

If an increase happens, the school board would hold an emergency meeting to discuss a timeline for a potential return to school.

“We are sharing this information now to allow families and staff for the possibility that we may need to return to a full-time virtual learning environment at some point before the end of the second nine weeks,” the district wrote in an email to parents.

The district will continue to work with the state and county health districts to determine the threshold for returning to remote learning.

“If in-person learning is paused division-wide, the School Board would reconvene to review data and discuss the school division’s next steps at its Jan. 12, 2021 meeting,” a note to parents said.

In terms of the 25-case average in seven days threshold, Chesterfield County was at 19.6 cases per 100,000 residents on Thursday and just two weeks ago, it was 13.2 per 100,000 residents. On Oct. 12, it was 8.9 per 100,000 residents.

As of Nov. 18, the county is at 20.2.

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