Heather Bell
RADFORD – Radford City Schools announced last week the first day of school for students will be delayed from Friday, Aug. 7 to Thursday, Aug. 13, but details of the plan will not be known until after the school board meets on July 14.
“We are working hard to develop a strong plan to safely and effectively re-open schools for the 2020-2021 school year,” RCPS announced on July 2. “We have many issues to address, including changes and unknowns that pop up daily – if not hourly – due to COVID-19. RCPS and many other school divisions are recognizing that our faculty and staff need training in a variety of ways in order to make the reopening of schools successful for all. Therefore, to make every effort to provide the school community a safe and healthy environment, RCPS has decided to delay the first day of school for all RCPS students.”
The schedule as it stands now is:
All RCPS teachers will report on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Teachers will have August 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12 as professional development days and training days.
RCPS students will begin school on Thursday, Aug. 13.
“Please understand that as information changes regarding the reopening of schools, additional revisions to the school calendar may be needed,” the announcement states. “If revisions are needed, we will certainly get those to our community as soon as we can. During this time of uncertainty, we appreciate your patience and support.”
An executive task force formed to plan for the reopening of school met July 1 for the last time to finalize a plan to be shared with the RCPS school board at the July 14 school board meeting. The plan will be shared to the public once it has been approved by the board.
A survey released to the community in late June asked parents and others to choose their best case scenario for how students will attend school this year, with options including:
In-school instruction two days per week and at home instruction three days per week, each week;
In-school instruction four days one week, alternating with at home instruction four days the next week,back to at-school instruction four days the next week, and so on; or
Completely at home instruction.
The school board meeting is set for 6 p.m. on July 14.
