Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced Thursday that D.C. Public Schools will begin the fall semester with all-virtual learning.
All DCPS students in pre-K through 12th grade will conduct studies remotely for the first term from Aug. 31 – Nov. 6.
D.C. Public Charter Schools will begin announcing their fall plans for virtual or in-person learning Thursday, said D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn.
Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee encourages all families to complete a technology device survey at bit.ly/dcpstechsurvey or call schools to tell them of the child’s technology needs. Roughly 44% of students surveyed so far do not have electronic learning devices and many do not have internet access at home, Ferebee said.
Bowser earlier this month had delayed the decision on the fall start, citing trends in the city’s coronavirus data at the time that were “not ideal.” The mayor said the system needed to start preparing by at least July 31 to be ready for the fall opening.
D.C. schools have been closed for in-person learning since March 16.
As of Thursday, the city had more than 12,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 584 deaths.