By Ayesha Khan | Virginia | FOX 5 DC
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (FOX 5 DC)–Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced on Friday a new plan for the whole state when it comes to schools reopening.
Northam is calling on all schools in the state to offer some form of in-person learning by March15, in addition to prioritizing summer learning options for families to explore in order to help students make up for lost learning and get ready for the fall school year.
“I know this has been a hard year for everyone, it’s been a school year like no other, it’s been hard on children and it’s been hard on teachers,” Northam said. “Our children need to be ready for learning in the fall. I want our schools to do this safely and they need to prioritize students who need this the most.”
Some parents in Falls Church told FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan on Friday that opening schools for in-person learning by mid-March and even supporting summer learning is a step in the right direction but they are hesitant in believing that the two scenarios will come into fruition successfully.
“We’ve been burned a few times now so we will believe it when we see it,” said Gregory Kinney. “We are seeing from both sides of the aisle now because I think everyone is getting serious about the need to have kids back in-person, so maybe we are a little bit more optimistic this time but guarded also.”
“We’re glad that he (Northam) came around and at this point, we’re happy that he said that but we wish it would have happened a lot sooner,” said Michael Chamberlain.