Students at Manassas City Public Schools are returning to the classroom for the first time since March.

Special Education students returned to the classroom on November 4. In December, the city School Board is set to vote on when to return the remainder of the school division’s nearly 8,000 students to the classroom, up to three days per week.

However, some students may return to find a key element of the classroom experience missing: A teacher at the front of the classroom.

During a special meeting of the City School Board on November 11, Dr. Melissa Saunders, director of the student achievement at the city school division, said some teachers might opt to remain at home and teach virtually. Those teachers would be given the option to work remotely.

“We don’t speak for other divisions, but as for [Manassas City Public Schools], we do not know how many teachers [the return to in-person learning plan] will impact yet, as they will need to go through the process of obtaining documentation for their doctor,” said schools spokeswoman Al Raford penned in an email to PLN. “The goal is to keep consistency for students. If a teacher has the proper documentation for teleworking, and we can find coverage for the classroom, we will explore this idea.” 

A classroom monitor would sit with children while teachers provided virtual instructions from home. It would be a newly created position within the school division, which has yet to be advertised on the school division’s employment website, Radford added.

Many will have students in their classroom and children who are participating in the discussion at home for teachers who do return to teach in person. The in-person teacher will use a computer monitor and a microphone to see and interact with the at-home students.

The school division planned to send a survey to parents on November 16, asking whether they wanted their children back in the classroom for in-person learning.

A similar survey was sent to parents over the summer, and the majority of respondents opted to send their children back to the classroom. Only 31% of respondents said they would opt to keep their child at home, while 49% of teachers surveyed said they were comfortable returning to the classroom.

The school system started classes on August 31, with all students learning from laptops at home.

If the city School Board in December selects a date for students to return to the classroom, students will continue to be on their own, from home, for “asynchronous” learning on Mondays and alternate in-person days Tuesday through Friday.

Pre-kindergarten through first-grade students will be the first to go back.  Two to three weeks later, grades two through four will return, followed by the remaining grade levels three weeks afterward.

All teachers are slated to return to the classroom three days before the start of school to familiarize themselves with the new technology set up in the classroom, as many will be teaching students sitting in desks in the classroom, as well as students who are learning from home, at the same time.

Stafford County recently announced they had received $8.4 million in transportation funding through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Revenue Sharing Program for roadway improvements on Shelton Shop Road, Leeland Road and the U.S. Route 1/Courthouse Road Intersection.

Transportation fund availability varies each year since it is based mostly on gas tax dollars tied directly to gasoline sales and prices. This year, the coronavirus pandemic significantly impacted transportation funding on local, state and federal levels. To address some of the funding shortfalls in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Governor Northam made changes to the state’s Six-Year Improvement Plan that reallocated funding for projects in the out years to ensure current project schedules are supported.

This reallocation of funding still allows Stafford County to advance several projects, including two projects identified in the 2019 Bond Referendum.

The Revenue Sharing Program provides matching state funds up to $5 million per year for a locality to use on qualifying projects. Though VDOT is responsible for building and maintaining roads in the county, if a locality desires to improve county roads, they can apply for state funding to do so. The Board of Supervisors voted to take on road projects to augment the work being done by VDOT to help better manage the safety and congestion issues brought on by the rapid growth in population in Stafford.

Following Virginia Code requirements, the priority for Revenue Sharing funding is given to construction projects that have previously received Revenue Sharing funding. These requirements apply to the Route 1/Courthouse Road Intersection project.

After funding those requests, priority is next given to projects that meet a transportation need identified in the Statewide Transportation Plan (VTrans) or projects included in the locality’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). In Shelton Shop Road’s case, several VTrans needs were identified for improvement, such as intersection improvements to increase safety and bicycle/pedestrian accessibility. All three of these projects are included in the County’s Transportation CIP.

Among the most frequently asked questions regarding transportation projects is, “Why do they take so long to complete?” In short, the answer is that transportation projects are extensive and involve years of work and coordination before the first shovel ever hits the ground.

Federal and state laws require certain studies, surveys and design work to be completed, including environmental, social and economic impacts. All stakeholders must review preliminary and final designs of the roadway, structures and bridges in the project, including affected property owners and local government, in order to obtain all needed easements and rights of way. And finally, all permits must be secured before construction begins.

During construction, numerous details require attention and unexpected circumstances – weather or a national pandemic – can cause delays. An afternoon rainstorm can cause a three-day delay while the ground dries out enough to ensure proper compaction. It can take nearly a month for concrete to harden to its maximum strength. Other issues such as the late delivery of materials or unforeseen discoveries such as underground utilities or unsuitable soil hidden below the surface add to the time of a project.

With those factors understood, design work is scheduled to begin on Shelton Shop in 2021 and on Leeland Road in the fall of 2022. Construction work along the U.S. Route 1 and Route 630 Courthouse Road Intersection is anticipated to begin in summer 2021 and be completed by winter 2022.

Here’s a look at today’s coronavirus hospitalization report.

Prince William Health District

There are no new hospitalizations to report in Prince William County today. The average hospitalization rate has been reduced to 0.6% from 0.7% per 100,000 of the county’s 465,000 people.

One new hospitalization is reported in Manassas, bringing the city’s seven-day average hospitalization rate to 1% per 100,000 people. About 42,000 people live in the city.

There are no new hospitalizations in Manassas Park.

Rappahannock Area Health District

Two new hospitalizations are reported in Stafford County today, reporting an average of one person hospitalized a week in a county of about 152,000 people.

A new hospitalization is reported in Spotsylvania County, as the county matches Stafford’s average of one person per week hospitalized with the disease in a county of 136,000 residents.

There no new hospitalizations to tell you about in Caroline and King George counties or in Fredericksburg City.

Statewide

A total of 1,173 people in Virginia are hospitalized with the disease — 43 more than yesterday.

A Stafford woman told law enforcement authorities she hired a cleaning company to come into her home and later found a tote bag containing two sets of wedding rings were missing.

The victim reported the theft to police on Friday, November 13, according to the Staford County Sheriff’s Office.  The cleaning company was inside the victim’s home on November 12, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office issued a press release about the arrest of a suspect in the case.

Detective A.S. Smith was assigned the case and obtained a search warrant for the cleaning company based in Spotsylvania County. During the execution of the search warrant, the detective was able to identify the women who cleaned the victim’s residence. They were identified as Enma Guevara Luna, 32, of Fredericksburg, and Ana Gomez Villalobos, 45, of Fredericksburg. A search warrant was executed at Gomez Villalobos’ home. Detectives located one set of the stolen wedding rings and a piece of the stolen clothing. It was learned Guevara Luna was in possession of the second set of stolen wedding rings. When detectives confronted her about the rings, she surrendered them to detectives.

Both suspects were charged with grand larceny. Gomez Villalobos was held on a $2,000 secured bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Guevara Luna was released on a $3,500 unsecured bond.

The suspect is due in a Stafford County courtroom at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, December 4.

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The Community Feeding Taskforce Food Hotline has an urgent need for Spanish-speaking volunteers who can assist staff on weekday afternoons with answering calls to the hotline during the pandemic.

Duties include answering calls from those in need of food, redirecting callers to a food pantry closest to where they live and arranging home deliveries for shut-ins.  Training is provided; however, volunteers will work from home and must have their own computer and Internet access.

To register, please create an account on our website at volunteerprincewilliam.org, then go into the opportunity to Respond to the opportunity.  Please email [email protected] to learn more.

Non-COVID-19 Opportunities:

• Here’s a unique way to donate food and fight hunger!  Manassas Hunger & Homeless Outreach Ministries is holding a Virtual Food Drive through November 30 to benefit Manassas Mobile Home Park.  Residents of this community have been severely impacted by the loss of jobs and income due to COVID-19 and your donation will help to replenish their community food pantry.  Please visit fooddriveonline.org/manassasfoodpantry/MHHO to learn how you can help.

• Mark your calendars!  Northern Virginia Veterans Association has taken on the role of planning, organizing, and running Wreaths Across America at Quantico National Cemetery from December 16 thru 19. Help is needed this 4-day period to participate in wreath-laying, buying wreaths or volunteering to support this enormous logistical event.  This is a great opportunity for the whole family to Remember, Honor, and Teach about our veterans and their sacrifices.  All health precautionary measures will be observed.  To volunteer, sign up at signupgenius.com/go/10c0d48a9a82cabffc43-wreaths.  Please email [email protected] for more information.

• The Salvation Army is recruiting volunteers for their Red Kettle Campaign, a long-standing holiday tradition that raises funds to benefit local families and individuals in need. Volunteers choose their locations and time slots and then ring the iconic Salvation Army Bell! All ages welcome; those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult age 18+ at all times. Great for groups, families, young children and older adults! COVID-19 safety measures include a mask requirement and sanitizing supplies (provided) to keep the kettle and bell clean. Please visit registertoring.com to sign up, call 703.580.8991 or email Angela at [email protected].

COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities:

The Community Feeding Task Force urgently needs muscular volunteers ages 18-55 on weekdays to either pack nonperishable boxes or help move USDA boxes that weigh between 30-40 pounds to be redistributed to over 70 local food pantries.  This will be held in the central food warehouse located in Manassas; volunteers should be prepared for the considerable lifting of boxes.  A few hours a week will help to deliver food to vulnerable families in our local community!  Please visit volunteerprincewilliam.org and visit the organization called VPW-COVID 19 Response to view the opportunities.  To register, you must create an account on our website, then go into the opportunity to Respond to the opportunity.  Please email [email protected] to learn more.

Medical Reserve Corps  Support your local health department and your community during a public health emergency!  Volunteers are needed to support several missions, including public health education and outreach, disease investigation, vaccine clinics, and more!  Medical experience is not required; they have roles for everyone!  Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.  Volunteers must be 18 years of age, complete minimum training, and pass a state background check to serve.  Please fill out an application at vamrc.org.  Questions?  Please email Amy at [email protected] for more information.

• American Red Cross needs volunteers to be Shelter Service Associates in the event of a disaster during COVID-19.  Volunteers work in person in a Red Cross shelter before, during and/or after a disaster event, completing tasks necessary for shelter operations and providing assistance for disaster clients. Duties include working in reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information or other areas within a shelter.  Please email [email protected] for more information.

• Prince William Food Rescue (PWFR) needs Food Rescue Heroes as the program is super busy delivering food to both ACTS and SERVE homebound senior citizens.  Volunteers are urgently needed countywide!  Home food deliveries are no contact and follow social distancing guidelines.  PWFR is an app-based program enabling volunteers to pick up viable, close to expiration food from supermarkets, restaurants, food pantries, etc., and then deliver it to a program that can immediately use the food. Just an hour of your time will do much to provide relief for food-insecure families in our community!  More info on PWFR may be found at pwfoodrescue.org.  Please contact Shirley at [email protected] or call 703.441.8606 ext. 212 for more information.

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703.369.5292.  You can also visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org.  Thanks so much for all you do in our community and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here’s a look at today’s coronavirus hospitalization report.

Prince William Health District

One new hospitalization has been reported in Prince William County, an average hospitalization rate of 0.7% per 100,000 of the county’s 465,000 people.

There’s are no new reports of hospitalizations in Manassas or Manassas Park. Both cities see the same extremely low hospitalization rate as Prince William County, with 0.7% of the population being admitted to a hospital in the past seven days.

Rappahannock Area Health District

One new hospitalization has been reported in Stafford County today, which has seen 0.7% of its population admitted to a hospital for coronavirus over the past seven days.

Two new hospitalizations are reported in Spotsylvania County, as the county matches Stafford’s 0.7% hospitalization rate for the past seven days.

There no new hospitalizations to tell you about in Caroline and King George counties or Fredericksburg City.

Statewide

A total of 1,130 people are hospitalized with the disease — 29 fewer than Friday.