School year in Amherst County postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak

Amherst County, Virginia – The school year that was supposed to start till now in Amherst County, has been postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak.

All schools in Amherst County will be closed until September 10, according to the announcement from Superintendent Dr. Robert Arnold.

According to Arnold, this comes after the division’s secondary schools were closed last week following a COVID-19 outbreak caused by a Covid-19 positive person who entered a school building without informing staff.

According to a news release, the decision to close the entire school division for six days came after a review and analysis of results obtained from the community testing event on August 31 regarding the spread of COVID-19 in our community and schools, Amherst County Public Sschools has decided that it cannot safely operate at this time.

After testing over 1,800 persons, including nearly 1,000 kids, and conducting trace of contacts, the school division has determined that there are currently 198 active cases in Amherst County Public Schools, with more test results awaiting.

According to Arnold, there were 100 active cases throughout last year.

There will be no in-person or virtual instruction, extracurricular activities, transportation, or food services during this closure.

All students will have access to self-directed learning activities through the ACPS website while the schools are closed.