The York County School Division is working to ensure that teaching and learning moves forward in the upcoming school year. Our goal is to provide high quality and meaningful learning experiences for our students – while also prioritizing the health and safety of our students, staff, and families.

The decision to reopen schools is a challenging topic for education leaders and public health officials around the world. Governor Northam has outlined a phased approach that allows buildings to reopen for in-person instruction and gradually eases social distancing and capacity requirements as public health conditions improve.  

One Thursday, July 23, Dr. Shandor and members of the division leadership team provided an overview of the 2020-21 School Year Planning Report, a comprehensive course of action to support students’ well-being and academic progress while protecting students and staff from the spread of COVID-19.

The plan includes four instructional models that may be implemented during the school year. Additionally, the division will provide a Virtual Academy for students in grades PreK-12 for families who prefer not participate in the Flexible Framework. You can learn more about the Framework and the Virtual Academy under the Instruction section of this site.

As YCSD moves forward with our planning, we know the number of COVID-19 cases in our state and our area will continue to fluctuate. We also know that the state and federal guidance schools must follow will continue to evolve, as it already has over the last few weeks and months. Further, we know that bringing together large populations of people in an indoor location increases the potential spread of the virus and the possibility of school closings.  

After careful consideration of research conducted, current community health data, our stakeholders’ feedback and in consultation with local health officials, the superintendent has recommended to the School Board that division begin the 2020-21 school year in a Remote Learning Model. We will continue to prepare for the safe reopening of our buildings so that when the proper time comes, our students and staff can come back together in a safe environment. You can learn more about those efforts on the Operations section of this site. 

We will continue to provide updates along the way on this website, through mass notifications, and on our social media channels as soon as they are available.