When Will NC Schools Reopen? State Officials Provide a Timeline
Schools will be shut down through June, but could reopen in the fall
JONESVILLE-Yadkin County students will finish the rest of this semester in remote classes. The same goes for kids in Alleghany, Avery, Wilkes and across the state, as Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday that all school buildings will remain closed through the end of the school year. Speaking at a 2 p.m. press conference, Cooper said he understood it was hard to keep buildings shut down, but it was necessary.
“The decision to finish the year by remote learning was not made lightly, but it is the right thing to do to protect our students, teachers and communities,” Cooper said. “I know this is so difficult for parents and students, particularly for seniors ready to graduate. But I know parents want us to keep the health and safety of their children as [our focus].”
This means things remain the same for students. As we reported earlier this month, students in kindergarten through 11th grade are under one set of guidelines and seniors are under another. Under Gov. Cooper’s order, the semester continues through the scheduled end time in June for each district. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has also set up guidelines for each district to follow. Each student’s score as of March 13 is used as a starting point. For example, if a student at Starmount High had a B overall in a class as of March 13, they started off the remote session with that grade.
Here’s the other important part: no work produced between now and the end of school can lower a student’s grade in North Carolina. DPI ordered that remote learning shouldn’t cause any negative impact. That means if your student had a B on March 13 in a class but got a C on any work done during remote learning, the higher grade will show up in their record.
While physical classes are shut down, that doesn’t mean all end of year activities will have to be. It depends on how many new COVID-19 cases we have between now and then. Under the governor’s three phase plan released on Thursday, the ‘Stay at Home’ order remains in place through May 8. If the number of COVID-19 cases hasn’t significantly increased by then and the state hits its marks for monitoring, then the order will be modified to let more types of businesses open, as well as parks.
After two to three weeks of that, if there’s not a significant increase in cases, the state goes to Phase 2. It’s this part that could allow schools to hold some type of end-of-year activities. Under Phase 2, the number of people allowed at mass gatherings like graduations would be increased. If the state enters Phase 1 by May 9, then Phase 2 could begin on Memorial Day weekend, leaving enough time for districts to organize events as long as people follow social distancing guidelines.
What About The Fall Semester?
Another big question raised Friday was what the fall semester would look like for North Carolina schools. Cooper and other state officials cautioned that even though it looks like school will open on time in August, parents and students shouldn’t expect business as usual.
“Already plans are being made about how we safely reopen schools for [the fall],” Cooper said. “We’re thinking about spacing, how we stagger things. We [also] may not be doing sports or [use] common areas. It depends on what our data shows us. The idea is to try and create a safe environment.”
He added that in some districts, there might be more remote learning classes even after students are back in the building, in order to prevent infection.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary for North Carolina’s Department of Health, said state officials have to take everybody into account when making these decisions, not just one group.
“We have to think of the range of the student body, our teachers and other staff,” Cohen said. She pointed to the fact that many teachers and staff members are over 60 years old and in one of the higher ‘at risk’ populations for the COVID-19 virus. Also, many of them have chronic conditions that also put them at higher risk of becoming infected.
“I think we [also] want to beef up the amount of nursing support to identify students that are falling ill,” Cohen said, acknowledging that would require more funding for each county from the state.
Brian Carlton is the editor for NWNC Magazine. He can be reached at brian.carlton38@gmail.com.
