Article updated: 8/6/2020, 9:30 a.m.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – With last Friday’s news that Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is planning to conduct virtual learning to begin the 2020-2021 school year, the school system has released more information today.
In the latest ACPS Express, Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. wrote that while students, parents, and staff generally welcomed the development, a number are concerned about the absence of in-person learning. Virtual PLUS+, the learning model ACPS plans to use, is designed to be adaptable.
“Learning is certainly most effective in a classroom environment with in-person teacher/student engagement daily,” he wrote. “A return to that is our goal when it is most feasible. However, at the moment, it is simply not feasible.”
School Board Public Hearings
Before ACPS is required to submit the Virtual PLUS+ plan to the Virginia Department of Education on August 14, there will be two public hearings.
- School Board Public Hearing: Thursday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. — Join on Zoom
- School Board Public Hearing: Friday, Aug. 7 at noon — Join on Zoom
To register to speak at either hearing, click HERE. For more information, call 703-619-8316 or email [email protected].
Virtual PLUS+ Poll
ACPS wants to know what support its community will need for the new school year. If you are a student teacher, staff, or parent with ACPS, take the survey HERE. It is open until Sunday, August 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about how Virtual Plus+ will work? Want to understand what it is? Many of your questions can be answered right HERE.
You can also view the superintendent’s video below.
