LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday night to establish a set of metrics that will dictate whether the county returns to 100% virtual learning. The metrics will include both new case rates per 100,000 people and the percent positivity rate in the county.
"If the CDC core indicators relating to the Loudoun County case incidence rate and the Loudoun County percent positivity rate are each at the highest risk levels, then LCPS would return to 100% distance learning for all students and would not expand implementation of the hybrid model," Superintendent Eric Williams said in an email to the LCPS community.
LCPS established 200 for new case rate and 10% for percent positivity rate as benchmarks -- if the county numbers for both metrics exceed the benchmarks, then LCPS would return to distance learning for all students.
Currently, Loudoun County is reporting a new case rate of 215.6 per 100,000 and an 8.2% positivity rate for the last 14 days. As of Nov. 17, LCPS has 10 active cases among staff and 15 active cases among students; 120 staff members are quarantining and 30 students are quarantined.
"We are continuing to plan to welcome students in grades 3-5 and seniors at AOS and AET to hybrid learning on December 1, even as we closely monitor and evaluate the conditions in the community," Williams said. "LCPS remains committed to returning students who choose hybrid learning to school so long as we can safely do so, and your continued vigilance is an important factor in our ability to move forward."
LCPS has said the earliest middle and high schoolers would head back is late January.