coronavirus

APS Makes Decision Not to Participate in Winter Sports

By Jo DeVoe

(Updated at 4 p.m.) While many schools in Virginia will start their winter sports seasons next month, Arlington Public Schools will not follow suit.

Some parents and a School Board member urged Superintendent Francisco Durán to reverse course on this decision during the School Board meeting held that night. They argued that other jurisdictions in Virginia — including neighboring Fairfax County — are gearing up to play sports, and that not participating harms students in the short- and long-term.

“We’ve already taken school away from our kids,” said Megan Newfeld, a parent of a high school aged-son who plays golf. “It’s now enough.”

Not providing public school sports makes it harder for kids who cannot afford private or travel teams to improve, she said. Further, she added that all students who are competitive and looking to get recruited by colleges will be at a disadvantage.

Durán said the Virginia High School League (VHSL) allows each district to determine whether to participate in winter sports, which include swim and dive, basketball, wrestling, and indoor track and field. APS declined because it would not align with the return-to-school plan, he said.

“Participating in sports while continuing distance learning does not send a consistent message,” Durán said.

APS will revisit the metrics to see about participating in “season two” sports — sports like football, cross country and golf, which are usually played in the fall and which mostly are played outdoors — he said. Winter sports, by contrast, are mostly played indoors.

School Board member Tannia Talento asked Durán to reconsider the decision, in part because students are already doing conditioning on school grounds.

“These students are in these places already and doing work, and it’s at the high school, where they are more aware of conditions,” said Talento.

Although it is not consistent with the return to school plan, which is on hold, she said “we have to weigh everything individually and holistically and make compromises where we can.”

Yorktown High School boys basketball coach Joe Reed lamented the decision in a tweet, writing the his “heart goes out to my players, especially the seniors.”

An online petition calling for APS to reverse its decision has garnered more than 1,250 signatures as of 3:45 p.m.

“The benefits of team sports go far beyond exercise — improved academics, teamwork, leadership, positive mentorships and overall improved mental health,” the petition says. “For this school year, these factors are even more important as many Arlington teenagers are at home struggling with virtual learning and missing out on the normal activities of their high school years.”

“As the superintendent and school board of a county with large disparities of wealth, it is even more important that APS offer sports for those who cannot afford to play elsewhere,” the petition adds.

Late Friday afternoon, the pro-school-opening group Arlington Parents for Education also weighed in with a statement.

“Not only is VHSL proceeding with the season, but thousands of Arlington children have been participating in youth, club and travel sports all fall with absolutely no outbreaks,” the group said. “Durán’s only rationale on not allowing athletic competition is ‘consistency, ‘which is a self-fulfilling argument that since APS is failing to provide the in-person support and instruction many of our children need for academics, it may as well do the same for sports.”

The VHSL, a statewide sports league comprising public and private high schools, approved a Championship + 1 schedule in September that would allow students to play 60% of their sport’s regular season schedule, starting in December, with modified regional and state championships.

On Oct. 29, Gov. Ralph Northam signed an executive order that allows the proposed VHSL schedule to begin in December as scheduled. In a statement published by VHSL, Northam said the league been a partner during the pandemic and has drafted thoughtful guidelines for reinstating sports.

“Keeping our student athletes safe is critical during this pandemic,” Northam said. “I know I join many parents in looking forward to the safe return of school sports.”

VHSL Executive Director Dr. John W. “Billy” Haun welcomed the news, saying in the statement that the amendment “clears the way for all of our sports to play.” The league drafted guidelines for playing sports that include limits on attendees, cleaning and disinfecting recommendations, masking and social-distancing.

File photo

Photos: A Look Back at Arlington’s Empty Parking Garages in the Spring

By Jay Westcott
1/19

It’s a sight that still stands out for its oddness: a huge parking garage normally packed with cars, almost totally empty.

Six months ago, at the springtime height of the pandemic in Arlington, ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott embarked on a photo essay project to document some of the eerily abandoned office and retail parking garages in Arlington.

At the time, there was just too much news to report and we never ended up publishing the photos. Until today.

Above is a look back at the empty parking garages of Arlington, amid the coronavirus lockdown. Below are Jay’s recollection of the assignment.

When I look through these pictures of empty parking garages, taken back in April and early May, I remember how it felt to be in them: cold, lonely, nervous. Despite being public garages, they were closed because of the stay at home order. Nobody was going in the buildings around them, and without cars the weirdness that is an underground parking garage or a multi-level above-ground garage is reduced to its basic elements: concrete and columns.

These parking garages might be getting more use now, six months later. And maybe one day they will have bike races in them again. One can only hope.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Video Highlights Contact Tracing — A video recently released by the county discusses the contact tracing process that Arlington’s health department uses to “control and prevent the spread of COVID-19.” [YouTube]

Woman, 62, Accused of Fighting Police — “Upon arrival, the parties involved in the physical altercation had been separated, however, when officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, she walked away and disregarded lawful commands to stop. The officer attempted to gain control of the suspect and detain her, however, she freed herself from their grasp and swung her arm at them. With the assistance of additional officers arriving on scene, the suspect was taken into custody.” [ACPD]

Nearby: Update on Seven Corners Fire — “On Friday, October 30, at approximately 9:23 p.m., units from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Arlington County Fire Department were dispatched for a townhouse fire in the 3000 block of Federal Hill Drive located in the Seven Corners area of Fairfax County… The cause of the fire was an electrical event involving the household wiring within the attic space.” [Fairfax County Fire]

Photo courtesy Dennis Dimick

AWLA Offering Festive Portraits of Pets on Porches

By Jo DeVoe

Even COVID-19 could not stop an opportunity for adorable pet photos around the holidays.

During two weekends in November, local pet owners can get family portraits ready for seasons-greetings cards with the holiday edition of Porch Portraits, a pandemic-proof fundraiser by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

“Have a holiday pajama party, bring out your favorite party looks, deck your pet in their holiday gear, any holiday fun you’d like to capture,” the announcement from AWLA said.

The organization has hosted holiday “Pet Pawtrait” sessions before, but this year will look different: The event will span three days and will be socially distanced. Sessions will take about 10 minutes, with a minimum donation of $100, and participants will receive at least three professional digital images within 10 days.

As holidays approach and the pandemic continues, AWLA is focused on supporting the community as people cope with job losses, including via its pet pantry and veterinary support, AWLA Events Coordinator Hollie Dickman said.

“We never want food or resources to stand in the way of people keeping their pet,” she said. “We want to keep pets with the people who love them as much as we can, especially during holidays and COVID-19.”

Sessions are open for Nov. 14, 21 and 22 and participants must be residents of Arlington or Alexandria. Registration for sessions on Nov. 14 end Sunday, while registration for the weekend of Nov. 21-22 ends next Sunday, Nov. 15.

Participants select the date, but AWLA will coordinate times so photographers can do back-to-back sessions in the same neighborhood. Times may range from 8 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

Those who want to notify AWLA of times that do not work for them are asked to contact Dickman at [email protected].

Participants must have a porch in front of their house or an outdoor area, such as a park, in front of their condo or apartment complex where pictures can be taken.

All portraits will be taken from a 6-foot distance with no direct contact between the photographer and the household, the announcement said.

Local photographers Mike Leonard, Jeremy Robin and Erinn Shirley will be taking the portraits.

This is the second socially-distant porch portrait session AWLA has run to raise funds this year. The first occurred in May, two months into mandated restrictions due to COVID-19.

Leonard had been doing porch portraits during the pandemic and asked to donate his services to AWLA as a fundraiser, Dickman said. The impromptu fundraiser generated $3,000 from 25 participating families.

“I thought that was a great success,” she said. “We are anticipating a similar turnout, we hope to see that $3,000 raised again.”

Family portraits courtesy of Hollie Dickman. Christmas dog (top) via AWLA/Facebook.

School Reopened Wednesday for Some, Others Delayed Until 2021

By Jo DeVoe

(Updated at 9:20 p.m.) At long last, some children in Arlington Public Schools were able to walk the halls and see their teachers.

Wednesday was the first day of in-person school for about 230 children with disabilities in 33 APS buildings and programs, and administrators were happy to see them back. The day went smoothly, from health and safety protocols to transportation and technology operating as planned, said Superintendent Francisco Durán.

“We were very excited to welcome our first group of students back for in-person learning,” Durán said. “Principals and staff at each school enthusiastically welcomed our students as they arrived and helped ensure a safe and successful transition.”

But the scene may be bittersweet for some of the PreK, early elementary, and career and technical education students — and parents. Those students were initially slated to return next Thursday, but APS decided return dates set for 2020 would be delayed until 2021 due to rising cases.

The news was announced in an email from Durán on Monday, but he informed parents last Tuesday that delays should be expected.

“We continue to see the case incidence rate in our area increasing, not decreasing,” Durán wrote. “Level 2 comprises significantly larger numbers of students and staff. Moving too quickly to Level 2, while case levels are still rising, represents a safety risk and could cause further disruption to schedules.”

But on Wednesday morning, some smiles were evident through the masks.

On social media, scenes of students at schools prompted a response from a local group advocating for a return to in-person education.

“Can’t imagine how happy they are to be back,” tweeted Arlington Parents for Education. “Now onto the rest!”

Durán said pausing the plans allows APS to see if its mitigation measures are successful with the first group of students, and gives the school system more time to solidify staffing plans.

In a statement, Arlington Parents for Education said it will continue to advocate for students to return.

“At some point, we have to learn to live in a world where COVID-19 exists and children are allowed to attend school. There is no such thing as a zero-risk environment for anything,” the organization said. “Arlington’s children will feel the effects of this decision for years to come.”

In June, before a rise in cases later in the summer, only 10% of families that responded to an APS survey said they preferred an online-only start to the 2020-2021 school year.

The clamor from some parents for kids to return spilled over during a COVID-19 virtual update with County Board members last Friday. About 95% of questions from the public during the Q&A portion of the call concerned schools reopening, County Board member Katie Cristol said during the meeting.

“To the members of our community who are looking to the County Board to provide a different answer on school reopening than the one they’ve gotten from APS to date, we can resonate with that frustration,” Cristol said. “But I’m sorry, we’re not here to give you different answers than the ones you’ve gotten from Superintendent Francisco Durán and the School Board.”

She affirmed the school board’s jurisdiction over managing public schools.

“It keeps accountability with those who can make decision, and keeps decisions in partnership with the superintendent that have to do with students and workforce, groups of people that the County Board does not have as much insight into,” Cristol said.

Arlington County sent $10.15 million of its CARES Act funding to APS, including a $500,000 grant for providing home internet access to low-income households. Another $1.65 million went toward wireless network deployment and $340,000 went to food programs. The food programs also received $1.125 million from other sources of state and federal funding.

Photos courtesy APS

Arlington’s Test Positivity Rate Ticks Up, While New Cases Stay Elevated But Hold Steady

By ARLnow.com

Has the rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington plateaued? Or just paused its upwards trajectory?

It’s unclear, but for the past five days the trailing seven-day average of new daily cases has remained within a tight range, between 30 and 33.

That’s well above the average daily case rate for the first five days in October — in the low teens — but below the county’s spring epidemic, which peaked around 45 cases per day in May.

Arlington Public Schools officials this week cited the rise in cases as a key reason for delaying the start of in-person classes for most students until 2021.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, reached 5% two days ago, according to Virginia Dept. of Health Data, the highest point since Sept. 1. Today it stands at 4.8%. One month ago it was 3.2%.

Arlington’s rate of new COVID-related hospitalizations remains relatively low, with two reported over the past two days. The last local coronavirus death was reported on Oct. 24.

Nationally, the picture is more concerning.

“The U.S. has reached another grim coronavirus milestone, surpassing 100,000 new confirmed cases in a single day for the first time since the pandemic reached the country more than nine months ago,” NPR reported today. “From the Dakotas to Ohio, communities have seen a spike in cases and record hospitalizations in recent days, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Tennessee, Oklahoma and West Virginia have also broken hospitalization records.”

Morning Poll: Thanksgiving Plans Amid the Pandemic

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) Thanksgiving is only three weeks away, and with coronavirus on the rise in much of the country, plans for the holiday are in flux.

The usual gatherings of family and friends are now subject to a calculation: is a big turkey dinner worth the risk of contracting a potentially deadly or debilitating disease?

For some, the solution will be a smaller dinner, perhaps with only some of the fixin’s. For others, however, it might be business as usual.

Asked about it last week on CNBC, two prominent figures in the medical field said the traditional Thanksgiving gathering was out for them this year.

What are your current turkey day plans? If they’ve changed from your usual Thanksgiving plans, let us know in the comments.

JUST IN: No Return to Classrooms in 2020 for Most APS Students

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:30 p.m.) Most Arlington Public Schools students will not return to classrooms until 2021.

Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán announced today that the planned “Level 2” return for younger and technical education students “will pause through the remainder of this calendar year.” On the other hand, the “Level 1” return for students with disabilities will proceed as planned this coming Wednesday.

The delay follows an increase in local coronavirus cases.

“I have made the decision to pause Level 2, which we had projected to begin November 12,” Durán wrote in an email to APS families. “We continue to see the case incidence rate in our area increasing, not decreasing. Level 2 comprises significantly larger numbers of students and staff. Moving too quickly to Level 2, while case levels are still rising, represents a safety risk and could cause further disruption to schedules.”

Durán said the school system will continue “to solidify staffing plans and capacity for Level 2 students” and will provide regular updates through December.

Arlington Parents for Education, a group advocating for opening schools for in-person learning, said in a statement that “Arlington’s children will feel the effects of this decision for years to come.”

The full email from Durán is below.

APS Community,

With in-person learning for Level 1 beginning on Wednesday and with November 12 fast approaching, I am providing my weekly Return-to-School Plan update today instead of tomorrow.

Last week we received interim guidance for schools from the Virginia Department of Education and Virginia Department Health. We will be making modifications to the APS COVID-19 Dashboard this week to reflect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention primary and secondary indicators for schools. Our dashboard reporting will continue to show the regional weekly transmission information from the Virginia Department of Health in addition to these core indicators.

Based on our review of the updated guidance and latest health metrics, we are proceeding with Return-to-School Level 1 beginning on November 4. We are prepared to provide in-person learning support to the 236 students in Level 1, using every recommended health and safety protocol to make this transition safely. Schools have communicated details regarding this transition to Level 1 families, and transportation information for Level 1 students is available in ParentVUE.

I have made the decision to pause Level 2, which we had projected to begin November 12. We continue to see the case incidence rate in our area increasing, not decreasing. Level 2 comprises significantly larger numbers of students and staff. Moving too quickly to Level 2, while case levels are still rising, represents a safety risk and could cause further disruption to schedules.

We will pause through the remainder of this calendar year. This decision allows us to carefully monitor the effective implementation of all CDC mitigation strategies, while continuing to solidify staffing plans and capacity for Level 2 students. I will provide continuous updates on our planning and progress through my regular weekly messages and in our School Board Monitoring Reports on November 5, November 17, December 3, and December 17.

As we plan for in-person learning, we continue to strengthen our distance learning offering. Teachers, students, and classes have established meaningful routines together during the first quarter of the school year, and our teachers and staff are working harder than ever to provide a quality distance learning experience. We remain committed to providing all students the best educational experience possible, with the academic and social-emotional support they need to learn and grow during these challenging times.

Thank you for continuing to work collaboratively with us to support all students, by sharing your questions, comments, and ideas.

Sincerely,

Dr. Francisco Durán
​​​​​​​Superintendent

Rate of New Coronavirus Cases Reaches Highest Point Since May

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) The seven-day rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington reached the highest point since May over the weekend.

Fifty new cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the trailing seven-day total to 227. That’s the highest point since May 31, when Arlington’s spring epidemic was starting its rapid descent.

Only 14 new cases were reported overnight Monday, bringing the trailing seven-day total back down a bit. Meanwhile, the county’s test positivity rate has been rising in recent days and now stands at 4.2%, the highest point since early September.

No new COVID-related hospitalizations nor deaths were reported over the weekend in Arlington, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. But Mike Silverman, the ER chief for Virginia Hospital Center, said on Friday, in a weekly public Facebook post, that the emergency room “experienced an uptick in cases this week.”

“Our hospital census is noticeably increased, our percent positive rate on symptomatic ER patients and on asymptomatic testing is up, and the number of ER patients who meet our ‘enhanced isolation’ status increased a fair amount,” Silverman said. “This last one is particularly interesting and concerning to me. Those numbers of patients have been really steady for a couple of months. There was a little uptick last week but it was close enough to be considered normal variability. This week had a significant uptick compared to last month.”

Silverman went on recommend continued mask wearing, citing research that suggests that those wearing masks are less likely to wind up in the hospital for COVID-19.

Across the country, hospitalizations in most states increased over the course of October, while the rate of new coronavirus cases hit a new national record on Friday. Closer to home, Virginia hit another record for new cases over the weekend; case counts in Northern Virginia have also been increasing.

During a weekly COVID-19 virtual town hall with the County Board, held on Friday, Dr. Reuben K. Varghese, the public health director for Arlington, said that the earliest a vaccine could be expected would be between January and April. But not everyone will want it, he said.

“Everyone would say they want a vaccine right now,” Varghese said. “Once it seems like it’s available, the desire drops credibly.”

In administering a vaccine, the county will not be able to prioritize everyone equally, he said. Those living and working in long term care facilities and those working in hospitals will be first on the list.

Jo DeVoe contributed to this report

Group Organizes Against School Bond, Say APS Reopening Takes Priority

By Jo DeVoe

A group of Arlington Public Schools parents has organized to vote ‘no’ on the $52.65 million school bond.

In recent days Vote No Arlington launched a last-minute online campaign against the county’s 2020 public school bond, to voice their frustration with how APS is handling the return to school.

“Right now is a very emotional time,” Vote No Arlington founding member and APS parent Geoff Olinde said. “People feel they are not being served well by APS, and this is one of the few avenues to get APS’s attention.”

The $52.65 million bond will be on the ballot on Nov. 3. According to APS, the bond would fund four major types of capital improvements, which range from increasing space to accommodate projected higher enrollment rates to renovating kitchens.

But Olinde said the middle of an economic downturn is not the right time to take on $52 million of additional debt that will burden taxpayers. Furthermore, enrollment projections went “out the window” due to COVID-19, and many children may stay in private schools, he said.

Olinde — who earlier this week was a guest on the Larry O’Connor show on WMAL radio — said he is far from being a political activist, but the breakdown in education due to COVID-19 motivated him to get involved. He said he has supported previous bonds, and would have supported one that was specifically to support schools reopening.

According to APS, this school bond does focus on the short term as well as longer-term capital needs.

“The 2020 School Bond funds will address immediate needs by providing best-practice security entrances to schools that do not yet have them, expanding kitchens to better serve more students, and upgrading older HVAC systems for healthier school environments,” according to the district.

Alexandra Bocian, who also has supported school bonds in the past, said now is the time to focus on returning kids to school, not brick-and-mortar improvements.

Voting ‘no’ is the only way her voice for reopening schools will be heard, she said. Bocian said teachers and parents who prefer virtual learning have a voice, but parents who want to return are not being heard. She also worries that a ‘yes’ vote would note get her children any closer to returning to school.

“I can talk until I’m blue in the face, but if I hit you in the pocketbook, maybe you’ll listen,” she said.

As a Black working mother of three children, Bocian said she knows what her children can obtain being educated face-to-face, as opposed to online — and said the current solution is not equitable. Instead, it favors wealthy families, who can afford small tutoring groups called “pods,” which can cost up to $2,000, and those where a parent or both parents are home to help their kids.

While countries like France are exempting schools from lockdown orders, APS is just beginning to figure out who returns to school and when, and that is also not equitable, Bocian said.

“How do you think those kids who are going to get to school feel versus those who don’t?” she said. “That causes an issue.”

The school bond is being supported by the Arlington County Democratic Committee. Supporters say the funding is needed to address important school needs.

More information on the planned use of the APS school bond is below.

The $52.65 million will be used for the following projects:

  • Planning and design to meet 10-year projected capacity needs at all school levels $24.3 million*
  • Major infrastructure projects such as HVAC replacement for schools $15.4 million*
  • Building refreshes and kitchen renovations at ATS, Key and McKinley $7.65 million
  • Security entrances at Taylor, Gunston, Jefferson, Williamsburg, Wakefield $5.30 million *Additional funds for these projects will be included in future Capital Improvement Plans

JUST IN: Rate of New Local Coronavirus Cases Reaches Fresh Five-Month High

By ARLnow.com

The average rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington is the highest it’s been in nearly five months.

Overnight 39 new cases were reported in the county, bringing the seven-day trailing total to 198. The last time the number was that high was June 2, as the county’s spring epidemic was petering out. The seven-day peak was 316 cases on May 3.

The cumulative total of cases in the county now stands at 4,686, according to the Virginia Dept. of Health.

Arlington’s test positivity rate is now 3.8%, up from 3.2% on Oct. 1, despite the number of PCR-based testing encounters increasing over the month of October. There were an average of 482 daily testing encounters on Oct. 1, compared to about 550 now.

Hospitalizations and deaths have continued to stay relatively low in Arlington. Four COVID-related deaths have been reported in October, compared to 10 in September. The current seven-day total of new reported hospitalizations stands at 10, down from 16 two days ago.

The rate of new cases statewide, meanwhile, has been increasing. The current seven-day trailing average of new daily cases in Virginia is 1,194, just four shy from the previous peak in August and one shy from the spring peak in May.

Northern Virginia topped 300 new COVID cases for the third straight day yesterday, while the U.S. recorded more than 90,000 cases, a single-day record for the country.

According to the Washington Post’s pandemic tracker, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths nationwide have risen 21.3%, 12.8% and 2.2%, respectively, over the past week.

Health experts say they’re concerned about the pandemic getting worse as the weather gets colder, perhaps mirroring the increasingly dire situation in Europe.

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