Re-Opening School Plans Are Failing Virginia Families

Virginia public schools offering solely remote education are finally moving toward at least partial in-person instruction. But is that enough for Virginia families, and is it truly “following the science”? According to the CDC, “based on the data available, in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.” The CDC also reports “multiple studies have shown that transmission within school settings is typically lower than -- or at least similar to -- levels of community transmission, when mitigation strategies are in place in schools.” While public schools in Arlington and Fairfax counties have operated almost entirely remotely this school year, several private schools in those same counties have been offering in-person instruction the entire school year for at least four days a week, using mitigation measures such as masks and social distancing, and have not had to close for even ONE day because of COVID.

Not all Virginia families can afford the luxury of placing their children in private schools, especially when their property taxes are already supporting their local public schools. And in northern Virginia, where the cost of living is almost 60% higher than any other area in Virginia and where dual-income families are the norm, many parents are faced with the difficult choice of at least one parent needing to give up or scale back their job in order to stay home with their children who are receiving an inadequate remote education from the public schools their parents’ property taxes are paying for.

Virginia families deserve better from their public school districts, and they deserve it now!