DANVILLE, Va. – Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Danville City School Board has decided to continue virtual instruction through the end of the month. The board met on Thursday and approved Superintendent Angela Hairston’s recommendation to continue virtual learning for all students until after the winter break.

That means students will not return to the classroom until Jan. 5, 2021, at the earliest. It is possible that the board may vote to extend that closure at its Dec. 17 meeting.

A news release from DPS said delaying the return to face-to-face instruction will allow the division to develop a plan to reroute school buses and conduct additional COVID training.

Beginning Jan. 5, 2021, students who chose face-to-face instruction return to the classroom in a phased-in approach.  The new schedule is as follows:

• January 4th – All employees return to work
• January 5th – All preschool students and Kindergarten through 3rd grade students who selected face-to-face instruction return to the classroom
• January 11th – 4th and 5th grade students who selected face-to-face instruction return to the classroom
• January 18th – Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
• January 25th – 6th grade through 12th grade students who chose face-to-face instruction return to the classroom