Board approves COVID-19 protocols for 2021-2022 school year

New guidance from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) allows school divisions to make locally-informed decisions on masking and other mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. During Thursday evening’s meeting, the Danville School Board approved a recommendation brought forth by Director of Safety and Security William Chaney on mitigation strategies for the 2021-2022 school year.

The approved protocols included the following:

• All staff, students and visitors will wear masks.

• Students will maintain a 3 to 6 feet physical distance.

• Desk/face shields will be used.

• Cafeteria shields will be installed.

• Frequent hand sanitizing.

• Frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized regularly.

• The COVID-19 daily dashboard on our website will be reset with the new school year.

• Contact tracing will be conducted immediately upon notification of a positive case.

• Hygenica machines will be used to sanitize the schools.

Central office staff and Virtual Academy staff can remove masks if fully vaccinated. In addition, vaccinated employees can remove masks when students are not on the premises. Masks are required on all buses, and buses will be full capacity.

For athletics, all spectators will be required to wear masks at indoor sporting events, and capacity will be limited at 70 percent to allow for extra space. Coaches and athletes are not required to wear masks during competition, but those not actively participating should have a minimum of three feet physical distance. DPS recommends that unvaccinated spectators at outdoor sporting events wear masks, but mask usage will not be mandated outside.

All athletes and coaches will wear masks while traveling on buses. Any COVID related issues among athletes will be addressed immediately. By order of the Virginia High School League, visiting teams are to obey COVID protocols of the hosting team.

Decisions on the mitigation strategy for the upcoming school year were informed by information provided by the local health department, evaluating levels of community disease transmission, and school level vaccine coverage for students and adults. In addition, the CDC now recommends students, staff, and visitors wear masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status. DPS encourages eligible students and staff to be vaccinated, as vaccines are a critical prevention strategy. The division will continue to work with the Virginia Department of Health and monitor updates related to local COVID-19 data.

“We are excited to begin this school year with students in classrooms full time, but we know that certain protocols must be in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Superintendent Dr. Angela Hairston said. “This layered prevention strategy will be key in keeping students, teachers and staff safe and healthy so we can return to educating students in an engaged and rigorous environment."

DPS, Otterbots partner for educational initiatives

In their inaugural season, the Danville Otterbots have partnered with Danville Public Schools (DPS) on several initiatives to promote education and wellness to both students and the community at large.

"As a community steward who is much more than 'just the baseball team,' the Otterbots recognize the importance of education in creating generational change within our community,” Otterbots General Manager Austin Scher said. “As a new STEAM-heavy industry continues to come into Danville and Southside Virginia, our students need to be ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. The ‘Bots’ in Otterbots is there for a reason: our team was built to be part of Danville's future. The Otterbots could not be more proud to play a role in creating new and unique educational opportunities for our youth, while increasing quality of life for families across the region.”

The Otterbots participated in DPS STEAM nights in May 2021 and will continue their involvement for many years to come. Scher said being able to meet students, teachers, and families who stopped by their table at STEAM Nights was an incredible experience for the team.

The division and the Otterbots collaborated on the first ever DPS Summer Coding Camp in June, in which students had the opportunity to attend an Otterbots baseball game on June 16. There, students participated in the activities arranged by Otterbots staff, which included between-innings activities focused on the importance of STEM education within the world of baseball. The Otterbots team, along with mascot Scotter, visited Johnson Elementary School on June 17 to spend one-on-one time with campers and teachers and discuss more about how learning to code can lead to a career in sports. The team looks forward to continued involvement with coding camps.

The Otterbots worked with DPS on a hiring spree prior to the 2021 season in an effort to provide fun, flexible, and unique summer job opportunities for high school students across the city. It is the team’s goal to employ as many local students as possible every summer, creating a pipeline of future interns and full-time staff who grew up within this- community. More than 50 percent of the Otterbots 2021 Game Day Staff team are local high school students.

The Otterbots also partnered with Noblis to present the first annual BOTS STEM Night, which was held on Saturday, July 31st. Plans for the evening included honoring of STEM teachers from DPS schools, highlighting the George Washington High School Cyber team, promoting the STEM curriculum offered to local students, and a one of a kind Rally Towel giveaway for fans. The concourse was also full of local businesses with STEM-focused job and career opportunities.

The Otterbots and DPS are excited to be able to bring baseball and softball into the elementary school physical education curriculum beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, thanks to USA Baseball’s Fun at Bat program. Schools will receive equipment and instructional information free of charge, and students will be introduced to the game of baseball across the city.

The Otterbots and DPS will also begin a summer reading program in 2022, kicking off on read across day during March. Elementary and middle school students will be given the chance to win prizes and take part in Reader Appreciation Night with the Otterbots just for staying academically active between school years. The Otterbots mascot, staff, and players will visit each elementary and middle school in the district during the spring semester as part of the kick-off festivities.

In addition, Scher officially joined the DPS Education Foundation Board in June. As an organization, the Otterbots recognize the importance of keeping students, parents, and teachers engaged with the community, and vise-versa.

“As the son of a career public educator from Durham, North Carolina, I know how vital it is to engage students in fun and exciting ways,” Scher said. “Through the sport of baseball and the Otterbots' unique brand of entertainment, the possibilities for our students and our community are endless. We could not be more thankful to Dr. Angela Hairston and her team, Anne Moore-Sparks and the DPS Education Foundation, administrators, teachers, parents, and students across the city for the opportunity to go to work on their behalf for many years to come.”

Open Enrollment has begun for DPS employees

This year, Open Enrollment is from August 3 - August 17.

R. J. Baldwin Agency, Inc. will be handling flexible benefits enrollment via email this year. Please check your DPS email for the process for enrollment. All full-time employees and those part-time employees who are are eligible for enrollment in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act provisions are required to complete a flexible benefits form, regardless of whether you elect to enroll in a health plan or other pre-tax benefit, as applicable, or waive coverage.

Most questions regarding DPS benefits can be answered by viewing the Human Resources "Benefit Offerings" page on the DPS website, www.danvillepublicschools.org. Forms needed to enroll in or make changes to your benefit plans are available on the "Benefit Forms and Information" menu. If you need assistance accessing Zoom or have additional questions regarding benefits after the open enrollment meetings, email Coretta Lipscomb at clipscomb@mail.dps.k12.va.us or Marcellous Reeves at mreeves@mail.dps.k12.va.us. You may also call (434) 799-6434, ext. 231 for Coretta or ext. 226 for Marcellous.