Dealing with the headaches: Parents in Nelson, Amherst counties adjust to virtual learning

School Board meeting preview

Jennifer Campbell, an English teacher and head of the English department with Nelson County High School, asked on behalf of the department to the Nelson County School Board during a recent board meeting to extend virtual learning until at least the end of the first semester.

Campbell noted because the high school operates on a semester basis, it would be "extremely difficult to realign, re-pace and acclimate to the new form of learning" in the middle of the semester.

"It would be like the beginning of the school year all over again. This causes an elevated sense of anxiety when we already spent three weeks preparing for virtual learning," Campbell told board members, referring to the three weeks of preparation teachers undertook leading up to the start of the school year Aug. 24.

With the preparation and changes that would need to be made at the building and classroom level, Campbell argued it would make more sense to transition during a time when teachers had time to prepare for the new format, which would best be done at the beginning of a new semester. She also noted virtual learning right now is the best way of ensuring the health and safety of staff and students.

In her remarks, Campbell echoed comments from board members made during the meeting of "how amazing our families and our students have been through all of this."

She commended their decision of a phased return to school. Currently in the first phase, Nelson County Public Schools for at least the first nine weeks of classes will consist of an entirely online learning format, transitioning into phases two and three as health conditions in the county allow.

While an agenda for the Oct. 8 school board meeting has yet to be finalized, school board chair George Cheape said he anticipates discussing and ultimately making a decision during that meeting as the division approaches the start of the second quarter.