Orange County school district delays reopening classrooms, but only for some students
Kindergartners and first-graders will return to part-time, in-person learning soon, but other Orange County Schools students will have to wait at least nine more weeks.
Monday night’s 4-3 school board decision, on the eve of kindergarten orientation, would reopen the district on a Plan B hybrid schedule for K-1 students as soon as a COVID-19 testing program, air purifiers and a plan for having lunch outside the classrooms are in place.
It was not clear when that could happen, but Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart said it could take a few weeks to start the testing program.
Meanwhile, students in small learning groups, pre-K and exceptional children’s classes who returned to Plan B’s in-person and online classes in December will continue, while students in grades 2-12 may stay in remote classes until at least late March.
“I know we have not landed where everyone hoped we would, and for that I am really sorry,” school board Chair Hillary Mackenzie said, her voice cracking behind her mask. “I know there are kids struggling. I know there are families struggling. These are the things that are keeping us up at night, so I’m just sorry for everyone that this is not ideal for.”
The board’s decision followed a lengthy conversation about rising COVID-19 cases and what schools that already have returned to in-person learning have seen.
Danny Benjamin, co-chair of the ABC Science Collaborative — a group of science and medical experts working with school districts statewide — emphasized that the risk of contracting the virus in schools remains very low compared with the risk in the community.
Superintendent Monique Felder also raised those points in her final push to bring back at least K-2 students, sixth-graders and ninth-graders for the second semester.
The district has worked closely with experts, she said, and has not seen any COVID spread because of its in-person learning labs, or exceptional children’s and pre-K classes. The data shows that schools can limit the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to contact tracing and the three W’s — washing hands, wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing — she said.
“We have data that supports that too many of our children are not doing well academically, social-emotionally. We heard tonight again that we’re in this for the long haul,” Felder said.
“I also would like to remind the board that at any second, we can close a classroom, we can close classrooms plural, we can close a school, multiple schools, or the entire district and shift that to a 100% remote,” she said. “This isn’t a one and done, we make a decision, and we’re just going to stick to it regardless.”
COVID-19 cases, vaccines
The rising number of cases has many teachers and parents advocating for the board to keep students virtual. Others, including parents who have struggled to balance work schedules and virtual learning, have pushed for at least returning younger and academically or socially at-risk students to school.
Orange County has seen a slower increase in positive COVID-19 cases, compared with most counties in North Carolina, but saw its count reach 547 cases for every 100,000 residents in the last 14 days, state data showed.
And although the rate of positive COVID tests statewide is beginning to decline, from 16.5% on Jan. 4 to 13.9% on Saturday, Orange County’s positive testing rate rose from 6.3% on Jan. 4 to 7% Saturday.
The county had 5,744 COVID cases as of Monday, including at least 37 COVID-19 cases reported since October among Orange County Schools students and staff, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard and spokeswoman Melany Stowe.
Health officials are in phase 1B of the vaccine rollout, which includes adults over age 75. The next group will include teachers and other essential workers, Stewart said.
She noted there is no timeline for when that will happen.
“We are excited that the vaccine is here,” Stewart said. “It is a challenge because we are having a hard time planning vaccine clinics, because of the unknown amount of allocations that we receive from week to week, but as soon as we get them in or are able to set up those (clinics), we will start the vaccination process here in the county.”
School decisions, staffing levels
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board voted in December to delay Plan B classes from January until March.
The district, which brought athletes back to campus in October, and some students, including in exceptional children’s classes, in December, had reported 45 infections or close-contact notifications involving students and staff as of Dec. 17.
The Durham Public Schools also remains in remote learning, despite expectations that K-5 students could return to in-person classes in the spring.
Wake County brought back its students in October, but has struggled with increasing COVID cases and a decline in the number of available teachers and substitutes. The district started this month with all 157,000 students in virtual-only classes until Jan. 15.
Orange County School Board member Will Atherton, who voted against only sending K-1 students back to school, said he worries about staffing levels with many teachers already out on maternity leave and in quarantine.
“Everybody here knows I’m big on CTE (career and technical education) and getting them back in school, but I don’t want us to go down a path where we’re just going to have to shut down schools,” Atherton said, especially as the vaccine appears within reach.
Felder assured the board that the district has staff available to fill anticipated vacancies, including 50 substitutes who can teach any grade level and about 30 essential office staff who can provide support. District staff is working to find more substitutes now, she said.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 10:31 AM.
