Durham school board to vote on a ‘Plan B’ Thursday. What does it mean for students?

Elementary school students in Durham Public Schools may return to a blend of online and in-person instruction next semester.

The school board will vote Thursday whether to approve the district’s proposal for Plan B, which allows schools to re-open at 50% capacity and buses to operate at 33% capacity.

In July, Gov. Roy Cooper asked the state’s school districts to create three re-opening plans with varying degrees of social distancing. Plan A would bring all students back to in-person classes, and Plan C would keep students home for online classes.

Afterward, Cooper announced schools must re-open for Plan B, but he gave districts the option to enact the more restrictive Plan C, The News & Observer has reported.

Durham Public Schools chose to keep all students home for online classes under Plan C, and the district has remained firm in its decision since July, even as Cooper allowed elementary schools to fully reopen in September and some Wake County schools reopened the past three months.

While COVID-19 cases in North Carolina and the nation continue to reach record highs, DPS plans to bring some students back to classes Jan. 21. State health officials have said school re-openings are not driving recent spikes in cases, The N&O reported.

‘Cannot remain remote forever,’ superintendent says

The district “will not reopen if it is unsafe,” DPS Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said at a news conference Monday.

“We really appreciate all of the work that we’ve done so far, but we cannot remain remote forever,” Mubenga said. “At some point we have to start transitioning back on campus.”

Parts of the district’s COVID-19 plan are in place now and more “preparations are underway,” according to a press release.

If the school board adopts Plan B, DPS will re-open enrollment for Ignite! Online Academy, the district’s virtual learning program, for parents who don’t want to send their kids back to class, said Chip Sudderth, chief communications officer.

What would Plan B mean for students?

Under Plan B, students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade would attend face-to-face instruction two days a week starting Jan. 21.

Middle and high school students would continue to stay online, said Mubenga.

Classrooms would be split into two groups. One group would attend two days of classes in-person, on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the other receives prerecorded lessons and assignments. Then, the groups would switch places for Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays would remain designated as “wellness” days, for social and emotional development.

The district will implement a range of health and safety protocols to limit the potential spread of the new coronavirus:

▪ Face coverings for students and staff on campus and in school buses

▪ Signs and reminders to wear a mask, wash hands and social distance

▪ Designated classrooms for students in the Exceptional Children’s program, equipped with personal protective equipment and high-efficiency filtration systems

▪ Touchless thermometers to check staff and student’ temperature

▪ Hand sanitizer stations throughout schools

▪ Cleaning training for staff

▪ Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of school facilities

▪ More operable windows to allow outside air into classrooms

Schools will use MERV-13 air filters for campus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, an upgrade from the school’s previous standard filters, MERV-8 and -10.

A MERV rating indicates the size of particles trapped by a filter, with higher numbers blocking smaller sizes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Students who ride the bus must pass a temperature check before they can board and wear a face-covering.

“We asked all of our parents of our smallest kids, our pre-k through five, to be at the bus stop,” said Julius Monk, DPS chief operating officer. “Which is just in case they do not pass the screening.”

Only one child can sit on each bus bench seat, but children in the same household may share a seat.

DPS plans to hire additional bus drivers and custodial staff, Monk said, and the district has procured a sufficient amount of PPE for the schools.

The district will also maintain a weekly-updated “COVID-19 Data Dashboard” online to inform the public on current cases among students and staff.

What if a student shows symptoms?

If a child shows symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day, a staff member will walk the student to an “isolation room,” until a parent picks the child up, according to the Plan B presentation slideshow sent to news media in a press release.

If a member of the health staff determines the student needs a COVID-19 test, the parent must take the student to a testing facility and tell the school the test results.

If the test is positive, the student must quarantine for at least two weeks, until a follow-up test is negative. In the mean time, the school will perform a “deep clean of all appropriate spaces,” according to the presentation.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 3:07 PM.