New task force to help decide how to reopen NC schools after coronavirus pandemic
Updated May 1
State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced the creation Thursday of a task force to help guide the reopening of North Carolina’s public schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
North Carolina’s public schools are closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the school year, with no certainty about when they’ll reopen next school year. Johnson said that the bipartisan Schools Reopening Task Force will work through the challenges of reopening, such as what social distancing guidelines will be needed to allow people to safely return.
“We are getting the message out to parents and teachers that what we’re going through right now is not the new normal,” Johnson said at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting. “We recognize that this situation is not sustainable. So we today are launching a task force that will focus on how we reopen schools in the fall.”
North Carolina is among 43 states, four U.S. territories and the District of Columbia that have ordered or recommended that school buildings be closed for the rest of the academic year, according to Education Week. The closures are affecting about 45.1 million students, including North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are finalizing guidelines for how to reopen schools, included putting students’ desks 6 feet apart, serving meals in the classroom instead of the cafeteria and closing playgrounds, according to the Associated Press.
Last week, Cooper said that sports may have to be put on hold when schools initially reopen.
Parents and students should expect changes when schools do reopen, State Board of Education chairman Eric Davis said at a virtual town hall meeting Monday sponsored by the News & Observer and EdNC.
Davis said that schools are looking at how to limit large-group activities to maintain social distancing.
Johnson said that the task force is working with health officials to determine how they can safely get as many teachers and students in schools as possible. He said they’ll also determine how to go forward with extra-curricular activities.
“Social distancing is likely going to be unavoidable until we have a vaccine and everyone can understand how difficult it will be to socially distance on a school bus, or in a classroom, or in a hallway, or a cafeteria,” Johnson said.
While nothing can replace learning in a classroom, Johnson said that the task force will look for ways to make remote learning more user-friendly and more practical. He said they also want to address the learning gap that will occur for some students due to not being in school.
Task force membership questioned
The task force members will include leaders from the state Department of Public Instruction, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, state lawmakers, State Board of Education members and superintendents from around the state.
But both the North Carolina Association of Educators and the Guilford County school board say the task force doesn’t have a diverse enough representation.
“His appointed membership of 20 people is significantly weighted against actual educational practitioners, with only one active teacher, who is also a legislator, named to the task force,” NCAE president Mark Jewell said in a statement. “Not one cafeteria worker, school counselor, janitor, school psychologist, or teacher assistant is included.
“If Superintendent Johnson wants to fashion a plan to deal with the real-world impacts of COVID-19 on public education, he should include an adequate representation of educators who are actually facing those problems right now.”
The Guilford County school board is questioning why there’s no one from the Wake County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Guilford County. school systems on the task force The Guilford County school board passed a resolution Thursday saying that two new members need to be added: a school board member and a superintendent from among the state’s three largest districts, the Greensboro News & Record reported.
Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore said Friday that she’s asked the governor’s office to keep her in the loop because of the unique challenges the district faces. In addition to being the largest in the state, Wake has 40,000 students at year-round schools that are supposed to begin in July.
Wake County school board chairman Keith Sutton said the district may form its own task force to work in conjunction with the state group.
Governor’s School canceled this year
Also on Thursday, the State Board of Education voted to allow the 70 current high school sophomores who were accepted into the prestigious N.C. Governor’s School program this year to attend in 2021 without having to reapply.
The Governor’s School allows gifted students from across the state to attend a summer program at Meredith College or High Point University. Sherry Thomas, director of DPI’s Exceptional Children Division, said it’s heartbreaking that they’re not holding the program this year due to the pandemic.
“We regret we are having to do this,” Thomas said. “But for the health and safety of all students and staff it just does not feel like we have any other option.”
The State Board also approved giving an additional 160 hours of emergency paid sick leave that public school employees can use in May if they can’t work due to the pandemic.
The state board previously approved giving 168 hours of leave for April. Now employees can get up to 328 hours from April 1 to May 31.
The leave has been particularly helpful for hourly employees who can’t get enough hours in to get paid. But some employees complain that districts are limiting their ability to use the leave.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 10:27 AM.
