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Lunenburg County Public School (LCPS) students have returned to two days of in-person learning, but that will change for some Monday, March 15 as elementary students will begin four days per week of in-person learning.

LCPS Superintendent Charles M. Berkley Jr. made the announcement during the Monday, March 8, School Board meeting.

Berkely said the decision to open classrooms to elementary students four days a week was made because elementary students do not change classes and move throughout the school building as much as the middle and high school students do.

“This will be a trial run,” Berkley said. “We will be looking at the secondary situation over the coming weeks to look at the possibility for changes for them as well.”

Until such time, middle and high school students will remain on the current A/B hybrid schedule.

“Mitigation strategies are in place to keep everyone safe, and they will continue to be implemented throughout the rest of the school year in our buildings and in transporting our students.”

Students began Wednesday, Feb. 24, in a hybrid mode after close to a year of the facilities being closed to students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with students broken into two groups and alternating days when they are in the classrooms.

Berkley said the reopening has gotten off to a great start.

Currently, according to Berkley, LCPS has about one-third of its students enrolled in either Group A or B and one-third of its students are learning remotely.

On the first day of reopening, LCPS’s attendance was at 86% for Group A students attending school at the elementary level and 80% at the secondary level.

According to Berkley, many LCPS staff members have received the COVID-19 vaccination, and the majority of the staff will be vaccinated in the coming days as they are planning a mass vaccination for staff.

With students back in school fall sports have begun, and games will begin this week for middle school volleyball and high school volleyball and football with the cheerleading squads and the school band participating in pregame and halftime activities.