COVID Outbreak Causes Fredericksburg Middle School To Go Virtual

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Walker-Grant Middle School is switching back to virtual learning immediately due to multiple COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the school. The Fredericksburg school will stick with virtual learning until at least Sept. 7.

In compliance with the Virginia Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia Pre K-12 Schools, Walker-Grant Middle School determined the level of school impact from COVID-19 to be high.

“Student and staff quarantine numbers have been growing for two weeks,” the school said in a notice sent to the school community on Thursday. “In the last week, there have been multiple positive and presumptive cases. In the last two days, those cases have been linked together resulting in multiple outbreaks.”

Additionally, Walker-Grant, the city’s only middle school, said that in the last two days, connections developed between these outbreaks and other ongoing cases. The outbreaks have caused a high rate of student absenteeism, with staff capacity “at a critical level,” the middle school said.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools began its school year on Aug. 10. The school system has scheduled its Labor Day weekend holiday for Sept. 3 and Sept. 6.

FCPS and the Virginia Department of Health determined “the only way to disrupt this Walker-Grant Middle School community transmission in the school is to revert to distance learning immediately,” the middle school said.

Staff will conduct virtual instruction from the middle school building. Parents should contact the school if their children do not have their computer or internet access.

“As of now, we do not see closely joined outbreaks, high absenteeism, nor critical staff capacity at the other schools in our district,” the middle school said. “Please understand this decision was made after considerable review of information and lengthy conversation with the local health department.”

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