Some DC School Programs Begin To Reopen For In-Person Learning

WASHINGTON, DC — Although the majority of D.C. Public Schools students won't be returning to their classrooms until at least the start of the second term on Nov. 9, students in select programs will begin returning to school this week and throughout October.

"D.C. Public Schools is proud to welcome students back on our campuses at select D.C. Public Schools starting this week with Ballou STAY High School," said Dr. Lewis Ferebee, DCPS chancellor, during a Monday press conference. "Throughout the month of October, we'll be providing services to our students via student services support centers and also through our career and technical educational programming."

Students in Ballou STAY's cosmetology and barbering classes began returning to class on Monday for in-person learning in small groups. Additional sites that will open in the coming days and weeks include:

• Bancroft Elementary
• Cardozo Education Campus
• Eastern High
• Kimball Elementary
• Kramer Middle
• Ludlow-Taylor Elementary
• Mann Elementary
• Noyes Elementary
• Tyler Elementary
• Phelps ACE High
• Roosevelt High
• Roosevelt STAY

"Every student that is currently learning at home remotely, those classes will continue," Ferebee said. "However, there are targeted supports that can be provided through the student support centers, academic supports for students, social-emotional support for students, and, as noted in the Ballou STAY model, we're also operating with our career-technical education programming to allow students to complete the in-person hours for their certifications they're working towards."

Ferebee confirmed that all of the staff members providing instruction and services at the support centers opening in October are doing so voluntarily.

These programs were selected for in-person learning because most of the instruction could be offered in small groups and did not require the reopening of an entire school.

"The operational and safety plans and the things needed in the facilities for a small, 20-person cohort or less is much different than when you're opening an entire school to students to come in," Director of Public Works Christopher Geldart said, during the press conference. "So the plans and the things that were put in place for those centers are geared around that size of a population. The things needed for the rest of the opening of schools and much more students to come in are much more granular and much larger improvements."

In preparation for offering in-person learning at the start of the second term for the remainder of its students, DCPS is in the process of evaluating and updating the HVAC systems at its facilities, beginning with elementary schools.

"We continue to evaluate and prioritize the conditions for in-person learning throughout our elementary schools, knowing that our earliest learners have been prioritized for academic and social-emotional support," Ferebee said.

Of DCPS' 80 elementary schools, 24 have open work orders with 17 contractors working on upgrading their HVAC systems. Two of the schools have HVAC issues that affect the entire building and two have issues that affect only half the building.

"We're working on all the work orders, not just the HVAC, but all the other things we have with the facilities as well, so that our schools are ready when we're ready to bring schools back," Geldart said.

DCPS students returned to school Aug. 31 for remote learning from home. At that time, school officials announced that in-person learning wouldn't begin until the start of the second term at the earliest.

Also see ...

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