Durham has its Plan B ready for school reopening. Here’s what’s in it.

Children in kindergarten through eighth grade may be returning to school in the fall, while Durham high school students take online classes. from home.

Durham Public Schools announced Wednesday how the district will reopen if it must reduce school capacity to 50% and bus capacity to no more than 33%.

Gov. Roy Cooper asked all public school systems and charter schools to prepare three reopening plans contingent on the coronavirus pandemic’s severity. Plan A requires minimal social distancing, Plan C requires remote instruction only, while Plan B takes the middle road.

Public opinion on school re-opening varies. An Elon University poll of 1,410 North Carolina adults found 34% support full-time in-school instruction, 38% part-time, and 29% staying at home, The News & Observer reported.

Superintendent Pascal Mubenga laid out his Plan B to the school board after taking recommendations from the district’s Spark Re-Entry Task Force, which the board approved unanimously.

It would require online instruction for all high school students, with “in-person accommodations for exceptions for English learners and exceptional children,” according to a press release from DPS.

Elementary and middle school students would spread out among the high school buildings, in order to reduce density.

“One of the reasons for choosing this approach is the need for childcare for our youngest and most vulnerable students,” DPS said in the release. “We recognize that our high school students are also vulnerable and we are continuing to work to identify ways to ensure that they remain engaged and receive socio-emotional support.”

Ignite! Online Academy

Although Cooper has delayed his school reopening announcement, DPS is preparing for Plan B by launching its application process for Ignite! Online Academy, an online remote-learning program.

July 10 is the official deadline for parents to enroll their children into Ignite! Online Academy, said DPS spokesman Chip Sudderth, but parents who don’t apply in time may have a chance to enroll later on.

“As newcomers come in or as families’ situations change, there will almost certainly be other opportunities to enroll in Ignite!” said Sudderth. “But, it’s really important for us to get an early sense of how many families want to take advantage of this option.”

Parents can enroll children in grades K-12 into the program.

It will include daily, live direct instruction, following Durham County’s one-to-one initiative to bring Chromebooks to students, and DPS will match students and teachers from the same school whenever possible. Students in the academy will still be allotted to their base or magnet school, the news release states.

With high schools planning for online instruction already, Ignite! Online Academy will collaborate with the schools to ensure they share best practices and online innovations, the release states.

Bettina Umstead, vice chair of the Board of Education, said she wants all students to return to school, but believes Plan B creates the best opportunity for students and teachers to stay safe and maintain social distancing.

“I think there’ll be a lot of logistical challenges, figuring out how to make sure we can transport all students to and from school safely with the social distancing, as well as in school buildings, and making sure students are wearing their masks,” Umstead said.

Michelle Burton, the president of the Durham Association of Educators, said the schools need more money to ensure child safety.

“The most important thing is that we need to ensure that our staff and our students are safe,” Burton said. “It’s imperative that our legislature gives us the necessary funding so we can adequately educate our students and provide the personal protective equipment.

Internet access concern

The pandemic already presents problems for parents of students who don’t have access the internet, said Mauricio Castro, a community organizer for Durham County’s chapter of the N.C. Congress of Latino Organizations. About 1 in 3 public school students are Hispanic or Latino, according to 2019-20 data from DPS.

Castro said he supports using online learning programs for social distancing, but wants schools to ensure parent-teacher conferences have Spanish interpreters when necessary.

He also wants the district to be adaptable in case the pandemic takes a different turn in the coming weeks.

“These plans, on paper, they may look good, but in practice will be something different,” Castro said. “And the question is, how flexible and how quickly can the district adjust to anything that may or may not work.”

Cooper said Wednesday that he will issue a state-wide directive on how schools should reopen “soon,” but did not say when.

This story was originally published July 4, 2020 at 5:55 AM.