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Lunenburg County Public Schools (LCPS) announced late Tuesday, Jan. 12 that the school division would delay its in-person start and will not begin hybrid instruction until the surge of COVID-19 cases in the county has significantly subsided.

“There will be no orientations at the schools on Jan. 19 and 20,” LCPS Superintendent Charles Berkley Jr. said. “And hybrid learning will not start the week of Jan. 25.”

On Monday, Jan. 11, LCPS said they would start in-person instruction Jan. 19.

With COVID-19 cases up 88 in just one week alone that decision changed.

“After listening to the officials at the Piedmont Health District, keeping abreast of what is occurring in the county, listening to the governor, and also listening to the state superintendent, I feel the most appropriate and safest action for our school division to take is to delay in-person learning,” Berkley said. “This will hopefully allow the cases of coronavirus to go down and ease some of the anxiety that we are all experiencing.”

Berkley said that Virginia High School League (VHSL) activities and competitions will also be postponed until hybrid instruction resumes.

“We will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases in our county and exposure with our instructional staff as we move toward scheduling a hybrid learning date,” Berkley said. “It is our commitment to offer our staff and families as much notice as possible prior to changing our learning plan so that childcare and other arrangements can be made in a timely manner.”

Meal delivery/pick up, the Internet Cafe, and the making of student appointments will all continue as it has all along in LCPS’s existing virtual learning environment.