Virginia Beach school board votes to count five async snow days and convert two early‑release days to full days

The School Board of the City of Virginia Beach voted on Feb. 25 to count five asynchronous learning days from January and February toward the Virginia Department of Education’s remote‑learning provision and to change two upcoming early‑release student days into full instructional days.

Superintendent Dr. Aaron Robertson (noting his formal title as the district’s instructional leader) framed the recommendation by saying, “There is really no substitute for, in person learning,” and told trustees the division lost five days of in‑person instruction because of recent snow events.

Trustees voted first to accept the five asynchronous days under the VDOE remote‑learning provision. Miss Rogers moved the motion; Mr. Cummings seconded. The clerk’s roll call corrected an initial tally and the final recorded result was 10 ayes, 0 nays.

The board then considered a motion to convert the March 13 and April 3 early‑release student days to full instructional days. Miss Weems moved the motion; Mr. Bowensteel seconded. Public comment and trustee discussion centered on two competing priorities: the loss of in‑person time for students — including those in afternoon programs such as the Advanced Technology Center, Tech Center, Environmental Studies and Governor’s School — and staff need for half‑day planning time and time to finalize report cards. Some trustees said they worried about the loss of rehearsal, lab or vocational time for students who attend afternoon programs and rely on school transportation. Other trustees argued the cumulative lost instructional time warranted bringing students back for face‑to‑face instruction.

The motion to change March 13 and April 3 to full days passed 8–2. The clerk recorded the vote as eight ayes and two nays; the transcript does not provide a named roll‑call of each member’s vote beyond the tally.

Key administrative clarifications provided during discussion:

- The five asynchronous days are proposed to be counted under the Virginia Department of Education remote learning day provision so the district would meet statutory day requirements without using additional staff or holiday days.

- April 4 remains a staff day for teachers to complete report cards; changing April 3 to a full student day will leave April 4 available as a staff day.

- District staff told trustees that students in afternoon career and arts programs would be disproportionately affected by lost in‑person days because those programs are scheduled in the afternoon and are not adjusted when the district uses early‑release student days.

Why this matters: Converting early‑release days to full days and counting asynchronous days under the state provision both affect how the district meets the 180‑day instructional requirement, the district calendar and student access to afternoon technical and arts programs. Board members described this as a difficult trade‑off between staff planning time and lost student instructional time.

What’s next: The board approved both motions during the Feb. 25 meeting. Administration will implement the calendar change for March 13 and April 3 and will work with program leaders and transportation to mitigate impacts on afternoon programs and students who lack alternate transportation.