AMHERST, Va. – Monday’s rain put a damper on Amherst County School leaders’ plan to hand out Chromebooks to parents and students in a drive-thru.
Angelic Yousef and her Pre-K daughter are one of more than 1,600 families who will be doing 100% remote learning this school year.
“I’m scared. I’ll be honest. I’m not a teacher. I don’t know if I do things right, but I want to do what’s best for her,” Yousef said.
Yousef said her daughter has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, making her more vulnerable to COVID-19.
“That makes her immune system lower. This is a safety feature. Just make sure I’m doing everything I can to keep her protected,” Yousef said.
Chelcie Ross is considering the health of her family too, which is why her third grade student will be learning at home with her every day.
“We have a younger baby. We have older family members, and I don’t really want him being exposed to anything,” said Ross.
In-person and remote classes start on Sept. 9 for all grades.
Amherst school leaders said they’ve been adding about 75 students to the Amherst Remote Academy every day, with more children in kindergarten through fifth grade, as well as high school juniors and seniors wanting to learn online.
“I’m nervous and excited. So, we’re going to take it one day at a time and see how it goes,” Ross said.
School leaders said teachers will be calling soon to introduce themselves and get some contact information.
On Tuesday, school leaders will launch a new web page that will include training video for students and parents.