Will Orange County Schools return to in-person classes? Decision could come tonight.
Orange County’s school board will meet a second time this week to decide if students can come back to in-person learning part time under the Plan B hybrid model.
The board will hear more details Tuesday night about family and staff surveys, the district’s online-only Virtual Academy, and how returning to a combination of in-person and online classes would work.
The board spent over two hours Monday asking questions and listening to health professionals and district staff. Members will have “a more robust discussion about the options” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, board Chair Hillary MacKenzie said.
Meeting information and links can be found at orangecountyfirst.com/domain/38.
“The board has been digging deep to really understand the impact of the decision we’ll be making this week as we consider our individual roles in helping to meet the needs of every student and family in our district during this incredibly challenging situation,” MacKenzie said.
Superintendent Monique Felder has recommended the district move to Plan B, a combination of online and in-person learning, in October. The district has been following Plan C — all online classes — since returning to school Aug. 17.
The ABC Science Collaborative — a medical and research group that started with 50 school districts statewide and is growing nationally — and a local Metrics Monitoring Task Force are helping the district review COVID-19 data and find the best path forward.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools officials also are working with the collaborative. The city school board, which decided in August to put students online for the first semester, will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss a possible transition to Plan B.
The number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in Orange County steadily declined through Sept. 20, said Rebecca Crawford, with the Orange County Health Department. The percentage of positive tests, emergency-room visits for COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalizations also are declining, she said.
Orange County had 2,668 positive cases as of Monday afternoon. Roughly 47% of those cases are among those ages 18-24, while only 7% involved those under age 18, the data showed.
The Metrics Monitoring Task Force reviewed the data last week, with 17 members recommending the district stay in remote-only learning. Another six — all school staff members — abstained from the vote, said Jason Johnson, the county’s executive director of schools.
Face masks for safety
When students and staff do return, consistently using face masks, plus physical distancing and good hand hygiene, will be critical, said Danny Benjamin, a collaborative co-chair and Duke University School of Medicine pediatrics professor.
Only a handful of students in the exceptional children’s program should have problems wearing masks, he noted. Staff and teachers in those classes can wear masks and face shields for added safety, he said.
Other students should wear masks unless they are drinking water or eating lunch, he said. Any risk from removing masks at lunch can be reduced by following strict guidelines, he said, such as requiring students to pick up their lunch, return to class, sit 6 feet apart and prepare their food to eat before removing their masks.
“You have 10 to 14 minutes to eat. No talking. Go ahead and eat,” Benjamin said. “We’re not going to eat too fast, but we’re here to get our business done. ... and then, once everybody’s done eating, good hand hygiene, put our masks back on, and then we can have fun.”
In general, they have not seen any virus spread among students and teachers wearing masks for several hours in a room together, he said.
He also downplayed the risk of contracting the virus when flushing lidless toilets. Genetic material from the virus can be found in a lot of places, resulting in a positive COVID test, Benjamin said, but that does not mean the virus is alive or can readily infect someone.
Family, staff survey results
Many parents and students, especially those with special needs or in at-risk groups, have expressed frustration with classes that force students to sit in front of a computer screen for hours every day and reduce opportunities for socializing with their friends. Some have shared concerns about their children falling behind.
Over 4,200 district families — about 59% — responded to a survey last week about returning to school, said Melany Stowe, the district spokeswoman.
Roughly 55% said students should return to in-person learning part time, while 44% supported virtual learning through mid-January, she said. Nearly 61% of families said they would be interested in some in-person classes if the district provided protective equipment and took other safety measures, she said.
Of those who want to return, nearly 75% would bring their children to school or take them home by car, while 28% said their children would ride the bus, Stowe said.
Meanwhile, roughly 60% of 414 teachers and staff surveyed said they would return if the district moves to Plan B. About 15% said they would not return, Stowe said, and 25% were not sure. About 58% said they would feel unsafe without protective equipment or strict procedures, fear infecting their families, or have other concerns, Stowe said.
Some staff members shared their concerns with her, board member Jenifer Moore said.
“They feel pressured about returning without a lot of options, so I hope that we just take everything into consideration and put some action behind our words so that we can show them that we do care about their emails that they’re sending to us and their safety and wellness, too,” she said.
Online and in-person classes
Felder has recommended returning to in-person classes in late October. The district’s plan would split nearly 7,500 students into two groups based on their last names. The groups would alternate schedules, with one group meeting in person Monday through Thursday and online on Friday for the first week, while the other group meets online all week.
The decision follows Gov. Roy Cooper’s announcement Sept. 17 that public schools could consider a full reopening Oct. 5 for K-5 students. Middle and high school students still have to follow the state’s guidelines that limit how many people can be on campus.
There is “no substitution for in-person learning,” Deputy Superintendent Kathleen Dawson said. She noted that the district has been planning for months to return to class at least part time and presented the board with a checklist showing how the schools could be ready within a few weeks.
“We know that at some point we are going to have to return. We want our children to return, but yes, safety of our children and our staff has always been at the forefront,” she said.
Orange County students and staff would have their temperatures taken daily when they return to class, wear masks, and wash or sanitize their hands before entering the building. Classroom capacity would be limited to 50%, and lunch would in class or outside.
The change could be made in phases:
▪ Phase 1: Exceptional children in separate classes, pre-kindergarten students, and K-2 and sixth graders woud return to traditional schools Oct. 27 and year-round schools Nov. 2. Orientation would be held at the schools Oct. 21-22.
▪ Phase 2: Students in grades 3-5 and 7-9 would return to traditional schools Nov. 2 and year-round schools Nov. 5. Orientation would be held Oct. 28-29 for traditional schools and Nov. 2-4 for year-round schools.
▪ Phase 3: Grades 10-12 would return to class Nov. 9, with an orientation on Nov. 4.
Other districts also are considering their options as the number of daily positive tests begins to decline across the state and pressure grows to return children to school. Many schools will continue to offer an online-only Virtual Academy for parents and students who prefer to continue remote learning after in-person classes resume.
Wake County staff and principals are opposed to that school district’s plan to bring students back to some in-person classes on Oct. 26 and begin daily, in-person classes for elementary students on Nov. 16. The Wake County school board will vote on the plan Tuesday.
The Chatham County School Board also will discuss its options Tuesday.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
