Hampton City Schools announces an adjustment to the school calendar –schools and offices will be closed on Nov. 22 & 23

 

We recognize that the challenges of adjusting to a world impacted by COVID-19 have been real for all of us on many fronts, and the world of public education has been no exception. Shortages in staff, supply chain disruptions, and navigating through our daily health mitigation strategies are just a few of our challenges. Our teachers and staff continue to work together to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of each young person we serve. In order for us to continue to provide a high-quality education for our students, while managing the impacts of the pandemic, many staff members are being asked to give up planning time to cover classes for those who must be absent, to adjust lessons in order to work with students who may have had to quarantine, and to take on extra duties, all while preparing for daily instruction and meeting the needs of our students. Our support staff have also been navigating challenges as they serve our students and the division. Our families have partnered with us on all of these fronts while navigating their personal situations and challenges, and we appreciate them. 

 

Knowing these challenges, and that our staff have been managing numerous priorities simultaneously, we have been working to identify potential options to provide our staff a time to recharge and reset while taking into consideration the instructional needs of our students, as well as the impact scheduling changes may have on our parents/guardians. 

 

We acknowledge that any calendar change will require adjustments on the part of our families, which may present additional challenges for them. In order to maintain a healthy culture and climate in our school division, we feel it is important to provide our teachers and support staff time to recharge and reset so they are able to continue to provide the best educational experience for our students. Given this, after conferring individually with School Board members and thoroughly considering options, we believe the following adjustments will have the least impact on instruction and family schedules:

 

• Monday, November 22 and Tuesday, November 23, 2021 (the Monday and Tuesday before our scheduled Thanksgiving holiday), which were originally in-person instructional days, will now be full days off for students and staff. The school division will now be closed Monday, November 22 through Friday, November 26, 2021. 
• Students participating in the HCS virtual school model will continue to follow expectations regarding the academic calendar provided through the Virtual Virginia and Edgenuity programs.

• All students will have the option to register for a meal kit that will be distributed on Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Meal kits must be pre-ordered by no later than midnight on Monday, November 8, 2021. Additional communication has been provided to our families in regard to the registration process and pick-up locations.

 

As we move forward this school year, we are committed to looking for additional options that may provide more long-term solutions. For example, in response to absences, we are in the process of working to grow our substitute applicant pool even further and provide each school additional substitutes.

 

We thank you for your ongoing support as we work together as partners to provide a nurturing environment and a high-quality education for our children.