Virtual classes for Collegiate students to begin next week

Collegiate high school students return to virtual learning next week as plans for Central still in the works

BY Elizabeth Barmeier St. Louis

PUBLISHED 11:55 AM CT Nov. 03, 2022 PUBLISHED 11:55 AM CDT Nov. 03, 2022

ST. LOUIS — After a deadly shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School (CVPA) last week, district officials announced that classes will resume next week for Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience (CSMB) students. Plans for CVPA are still in the works.

Last Monday, police say a former CVPA student entered the school and killed a 61-year-old teacher, and a 15-year-old student, and injured others. CVPA shares a campus with CSMB.

A press release states that CSMB school leaders believe students are ready to return and that the school building “suffered significantly less damage.” CSMB students will start with virtual learning and then go back to in-person learning.

What You Need To Know

Collegiate students return to school virtually next week after last week's deadly shooting

School leaders believe students are ready to return to their part of campus because that school building "suffered significantly less damage"

Plans are still being made for Central VPA's return to school

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“We hope to have them back in the building by Monday, Nov. 14, however the timeline depends on how long it takes to complete necessary repairs. That could push us to the week following Thanksgiving break, but the overarching goal is to have students in classrooms as soon as we can,” Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Adams said in the press release.

“We don’t take this decision lightly. A survey was conducted among parents and students, and one thing is clear -- most are ready to be back in class.”

CSMB teachers will have Monday, Nov. 7 to prepare for virtual instruction, which will begin Wednesday, Nov. 9. Virtual learning will remain an option for the rest of the semester for students who are comfortable returning in-person.

“The health and wellbeing of our students comes first and with that in mind, we are working closely with the principals of both CVPA and CSMB, and school counselors to determine the pace at which we provide support and initiate change,” the press release states.

Arrangements for full-time therapists are being made and assigned to CSM and CVPA for the remainder of the school year.

Bus transportation for CSMB students will resume once students return, the press release states.

Discussions regarding CVPA plans are ongoing.

“We are allowing CVPA students time and space for healing this week,” Adams said. “We will continue to proceed slowly and let them guide us on the right time to return.”