The rules for school attendance have changed. Here are the numbers so far

Students in Prince William County Public Schools have been back to learning for about a month.

Special education students are learning in classrooms, while the remainder of the school division’s 92,000 students has been attending classes online since the first day of school on September 8.

Attendance numbers from Title 1 schools, considered to be the most economically disadvantaged, are about the same when compared to the same time last year. An average of 97% of students at Title 1 elementary schools was counted as present for the first full 17 days of school, compared to 96% this time last year.

The number is highest at Minvieville Elementary School in Dale City, with 99% of students counted as present. It’s lowest at Ellis Elementary School just outside Manassas at 92%.

But what counts as attendance in virtual learning is much different than in previous years.

• Last year, attendance meant you came to school and were present at the start of class.
• Now, students that don’t log on for the lesson and participate in the discussion are being marked as present.

Here’s how the school division explains it to parents:

While the expectation is that students attend the live session, we understand that circumstances beyond your control may not allow for this. If this is the case, please reach out to your teacher to discuss other options for class attendance.

Depending on your situation, you can be marked as present for a class period by participating in what we call “Asynchronous Attendance” activities.

This may mean that your student may complete an assignment or take a quiz in order to show the teacher that your child understood the content that was taught.

Essentially, the schools with the highest attendance numbers are the schools with the most students submitting their homework. Attendance numbers are a key factor in how the school division is graded on performance and are also used to determine funding.

On Wednesday, October 7, the County School Board is set to receive an update from schools Superintendent Dr. Steven L. Walts on his plan to reopen the school buildings to half of the county’s students on November 10. Under his “50/50” plan, students would attend in-person classes every other day, and middle and high school students would see their teachers at least once per week.

When not in the building, students will continue with virtual learning via the video application Zoom. Due to bus schedules, high schools will revert to the old 7:30 a.m. start time, and, with a limited number of students allowed on school buses, drivers will have to double their runs at every school.

To stave off the virus, students will  be on the honor system when it comes to choosing to stay at home from school if they’re sick. If infection rates increase, there are bound to be new cases of the virus in the schools, Walts warns, and students and staff would need to quarantine if an infection is reported.

School Board Chairman At-large Babur Lateef supports the plan to get students back to school. A $20 million of CARES Act money from the Board of County Supervisors, as well as watching other school divisions in the state reopen for in-person learning, has prepared Prince William to move ahead with its reopening plan.

“If the governor orders us to close, we close, but as long as the Virginia Department of Health considers it safe to go in, we’re going to go in,” Lateef told PWC Moms.

Following that interview, Woodbridge Senior High School Principal Heather Abney took to Twitter to urge the school division to scrap the hybrid plan and stick with virtual learning. Several teachers responded.

I physically can’t do anymore. My spirit is broken. My heart is broken. My curriculum is broken. My students are broken. My effectiveness is cracked and going to soon be broken.

— ????Mathemagician? (@YouMustShowWork) September 30, 2020

I am dying! Online teacher, in person teacher, planning as teacher of the gifted with students in same class that are at a kindergarten level in 3rd, MTSS planning, cReate distance learning gifted plans, NO DIGITAL CURRICULUM or plan for digital learning. I. Am. Dying!

— Mrs. Carter (@jessicamae3) September 30, 2020

https://twitter.com/cynphillips09/status/1310977440613883914

Our district went back face to face mid August, and we’re not having a problem with it. It’s a large district, and yet the number of positive cases have been very low. The kids have adjusted well to the changes. Give your staff and students some credit. You CAN do this!!

— Amanda Hill (@songbyrdah) September 29, 2020

The Prince William Education Association released a statement on Sunday saying, “virtual education provides a safe and equitable learning environment for all.”

The Prince William County School Board meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Edward Kelly Leadership Center, at 14715 Bristow Road.