The Virginia Beach School Board decision to add 10 minutes to school days in the upcoming fourth quarter has led to calls for it to reconsider it – and how the district counts instructional time.
The board added time between April 13 and June 8 so students wouldn’t be in schools on the day of the April 21 special election.
Virginia Beach couldn’t use virtual learning that day because the division tracks instructional time using days rather than hours. A threshold of either 180 days or 990 hours are required in state code.
The state said virtual learning couldn’t count toward instructional days or hours to make up for April 21, according to a presentation to the board last week. That put the division in a tough spot to make sure it met its legally required instructional time.
Some board members in Virginia Beach said switching to hours makes it easier to adapt when scheduling issues arise.
Last week, board member Matt Cummings suggested Virginia Beach schools make a temporary change to its policy. But he withdrew a motion to do so and supported closing schools on April 21 and making up the time with an extra 10 minutes.
He said he hopes the board will consider switching to hours rather than days in the future.
“I think an hours-based model does allow flexibility built within it in case, you know, there's emergencies or things pop up, like special elections, snow days … and that we have that as an avenue to respond to scenarios,” Cummings said.
Board member Melinda Rogers also supported using the hours model during the meeting and in comments online.
Others on the board were hesitant to discuss a policy change last week.
On Wednesday, School Board Chairperson Kathleen Brown told WHRO the board went with its best option when it decided to keep students out of schools for the special election and make up the time.
“We do have an obligation to the community and our students and staff to make sure that everyone is safe, and this was the best decision for student safety and academics,” she said.
Brown said broader discussion was needed. She said the board would also need to see whether another approach could affect some learning programs.
The Virginia Beach Education Association has criticized the additional time.
An online petition, which had nearly 1,500 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, wants the board to reconsider it, seeking a special meeting and the suspension of the board policy.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools is a member of the Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association, which holds WHRO’s license.
