Thousands of central Virginia students head back to classrooms with new COVID protocols

HANOVER, Va. (WWBT) - Summer is coming to an end for thousands of kids in central Virginia with nine different school districts starting classes Tuesday. And if families opted for in-person learning, they will be faced with plenty of new COVID protocols to keep students safe.

In Hanover County, the district has a staggered start, with students making the “most significant transitions” starting Tuesday: pre-K, Kindergarten, First, Sixth and Ninth-grade students. It also includes any student returning to in-person learning after being virtual last year or students opting to stay virtual.

The rest of the district will start Wednesday.

Virtual students will be able to pick up meals, which are free for all kids in the country this year, on Mondays at Beaverdam, Gandy or Mechanicsville Elementary Schools.

Masks will be required in all school buildings in Hanover as well as Petersburg, where an overwhelming majority of students have chosen to return to in-person learning.

Petersburg students have also been asked to stay three feet away from each other whenever possible.

The district has also invested a lot of money in a new ventilation system to keep air circulating, as well as air purifiers in classrooms. An ultraviolent ray machine will also be rolled into each classroom at night to kill any leftover germs.

On top of that, a consent form went to families for weekly COVID testing each Wednesday. Results for those will come back each Thursday if parents opted in.

Students in Colonial Heights, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Prince George, New Kent, Greensville and Sussex also head back to the classroom Tuesday. Henrico and Richmond are observing Rosh Hashanah and will return Wednesday.

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