VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For many students in Virginia Beach, November 12 brings a welcome - but unusual - feeling.
One Virginia Beach mother, Jen Marcus, shared her personal experience with this feeling on Thursday.
"He’s looking forward to it in one sense," Marcus said. "But some of the things he really loves about being in high school wont be there: the extracurriculars, and it’s weird with who’s in the building on what days,"
Of the division’s roughly 65,000 students, 60% of them chose "Option 1" learning, meaning some kind of return to in-person education when it was deemed safe to do so.
On November 12, more "Option 1" students will be making their way back to campus, with the return of more high school, 7th and 8th grade students.
Students who chose "Option 2" will continue their virtual learning.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools told 13News Now that many details are still being ironed out by the division, regarding logistics and how the changes will look in real time.
"I’m not going to change my mind but I'd like to know, are they cutting down on how much kids are moving around?" Marcus asked. "Spreading kids out in the classrooms, what other mitigation strategies have been put into place? I guess I’m not 100% clear on that."
Based on a plan approved Tuesday by Virginia Beach City Public Schools Board, high schoolers will be split by last name and attending in-person classes two days week.
Seventh and eighth grade students will also attend in-person learning two days a week, but will be split by grade.
“Teenagers aren’t great about distancing themselves, hugs and high fives, those are the kind of conversations I’ll have to have with him," Marcus said.