With all due respect, governor: No way, no how.

That’s the message the Richmond School Board and Superintendent Jason Kamras are sending in response to Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s call for public schools to reopen at least partially by March 15.

At a special board meeting Tuesday night, Mr. Kamras made it clear that RPS has no plans to comply with Gov. Northam’s call for reopening.

He told the board the governor has issued an expectation, distinct from an official executive order or mandate, that Richmond cannot and will not meet.

“This gives school systems latitude in how they respond,” Mr. Kamras informed the School Board in explaining why RPS plans to remain virtual and is turning a thumbs down to the governor’s request even as other area school districts already have reopened their buildings or have announced plans to do so.

Despite the governor’s call, Mr. Kamras noted that reopening does not enjoy wide support.

“The division has gone to great lengths to survey stakeholders, and their responses have driven the decision to remain virtual for the second semester,” Mr. Kamras reminded the board.

According to that data, 63 percent of families responding to an RPS survey said they did not want to resume in-person learning.

The superintendent also spelled out the challenges that RPS would face in trying to get its buildings ready.

Many of the buildings are old and have outdated ventilation systems that need to be upgraded to ensure that students and teachers can be kept safe from the spread of germs.

Bipolar ionization is a method to improve air quality, and RPS plans to spend $6 in million federal CARES Act funds to install that equipment.

However, “at this point, no work has been completed on fixing air quality in school buildings,” Mr. Kamras said.

He noted that the spending to upgrade air quality in RPS buildings is one piece of a proposed three-year plan for using the $54 million in CARES Act money RPS has received and that is still awaiting board approval.

Once approved, the purchase and installation of the equipment would take several months and could not be completed before this school year ends in late June, Mr. Kamras said.

He said RPS also has not completed the hiring of the 27 additional custodians that are needed to enable the school district to meet industry standards and ensure building cleanliness.

Mr. Kamras said the district is moving forward on completing RPS’ Bathroom Blitz project – upgrading and replacing sinks, toilets and toilet stalls and installing automatic paper towel dispensers. However, that work is being done on a schedule that contemplates schools reopening in late summer, he said.

Mr. Kamras said meal distribution now being done with school buses could be disrupted if RPS tries to start up partial in-person instruction as an option.

He and his management team said that buses are now distributing meals daily at 46 mobile stops and to four school-based sites, but that schedule could not be maintained if drivers have to start transporting students to and from school.

In addition, a majority of Richmond teachers have yet to get their COVID-19 vaccination shots. As of Tuesday, only 30 percent of teachers and support staff had their first vaccine shot, the board was informed, with the Richmond-Henrico Health District reporting that supply shortages were slowing the inoculation process. Two doses of the vaccine are required for full protection against the virus.

The Virginia Education Association is advocating for full vaccinations for all teachers before a return to in-person learning.

As the district looks to reopen in the future, Mr. Kamras told the board that his team is working on a plan to provide limited, in-person learning for English language learners as well as those enrolled in special education courses. He indicated that a limited program that would allow students to voluntarily participate with parental approval is under consideration.

Board Chair Cheryl L. Burke, 7th District, and 3rd District Board member Kenya Gibson both agreed that the board would need to see a clear plan on how in-person instruction would be delivered to such students, as well as a plan for the safety measures that are to be installed to enable in-person instruction for the upcoming school year.