An Amherst resident is seeking to turn Virginiaâs House 24 district blue for the first time in nearly four decades.
Sam Soghor, 40, is the Democratic candidate for the district that covers the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington as well as Bath and Rockbridge counties and parts of Amherst and Augusta counties. Soghor, a New York City native who recently moved to the town of Amherst, said improving public education, broadband accessibility and health care access are crucial issues he plans to fight for in the General Assembly.
A parent of a student in Amherst County Public Schools, he said wants to make sure every child has high-speed access to the internet and school districts have the best available resources.
Together, Lynchburg City Schools and public schools in the counties of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson have reported 984 positive cases of COVID-19 since their school years began.
Amherst County High School junior Amya Hankton said she felt relieved after she received her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Friday afternoon at the school.
âIt feels like this is finally coming to an end,â she said. âItâs a relief.â
Hankton, 17, said she has been participating in the Amherst Remote Academy this year, primarily as a precaution because of COVID-19. She hopes, now that she and her fellow classmates and teachers are receiving the vaccine, sheâll feel safe enough to spend her senior year back in the classroom.
Amherst County High School held its first vaccination clinic for students Friday, following Gov. Ralph Northamâs announcement earlier this month that Virginians ages 16 and older would be eligible to get the vaccine starting April 18.
A return to in-person learning five days per week is in the works for Amherst County Public Schools in the upcoming 2021-22 school year.
Superintendent Rob Arnold said he is recommending to the Amherst County School Board that all students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade are provided with in-person instruction all day throughout the week. The hours he is proposing are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for elementary schools and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the two middle schools and high schools.
Mitigation strategies against the coronavirus would remain in place with two exceptions: moving from six feet of social distancing to three feet and allowing two students per seat on school buses.
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