Schools are scheduled to reopen on Aug. 17, but no one knows yet how that will happen.
On June 11, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and Board of Education agreed on a guidebook on reopening schools for the 2020-21 school year. The plan outlines three possible solutions for schools to return to in-person classes. Plan A, Minimal Social Distancing, would see minimal change from how school worked before the pandemic.
Plan B, Moderate Social Distancing, would have students attend classes on alternating days so that the schools would be only half full at any given time, as well as require more widespread dispersal of personal protective gear.
Plan C, Remote Learning, would have students learn through take-home packets and online modules without going to school.
One plan won’t fit all
All these options will be considered through the lens of current health conditions closer to the end of the summer, but the pressure is already on for Macon County Schools.
Board of Education member Fred Goldsmith thinks Plan C is a non-starter for rural communities like Macon County. Remote learning served its purpose in a pinch this spring, but with a lack of broadband internet service in many parts of the county, he doesn’t see a viable path toward instituting it again.
“It was very, very cumbersome for parents, for students, for teachers, for the board, for administrators, for everybody,” Goldsmith said. “I would guess that about 50 percent of kids in our schools don’t have adequate access to broadband at home. The state needs to think about rural counties in these decisions.”
Then again, Plan B might not be much better. Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale said that the strict social distancing guidelines this plan entails would put a large burden of responsibility on teachers and staff, especially when dealing with smaller children. Furthermore, he felt that giving every child a different set of days to attend on would be a logistical nightmare that would create a no-win situation for working families.
“They’ve talked about alternating days I don’t see how that’s going to fly,” Beale said. “We’ve got too many working parents with too much to worry about. It’s not fair to them.”
Plan A would reopen schools with minimal restrictions and alterations, but will only come to pass if North Carolina makes significant progress on reducing the number of new cases in the state.
“We want to reopen school buildings, but we won’t open them and make a reckless decision when it’s so important,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will decide by July 1 which of the three plans should be implemented for schools to most safely reopen.
Macon County Schools superintendent Chris Baldwin said that the school system’s number one priority going forward will be doing what works best for families. He said that whatever the circumstances are in August, they will keep constant contact with parents to ensure the maximum level of service is maintained.
“Macon County Schools will have the flexibility to adjust our requirements based upon the circumstances on the ground here in our district,” Baldwin said. “Macon County Schools has also sent parents a survey regarding the reopening of schools. We value the input from parents and will use that information to plan the reopening of schools.”
Prep sports open for practice
One silver lining for the fall semester is that sports are on track to return on time. The North Carolina High School Athletics Association lifted its dead period to allow fall sports practices beginning Monday, June 15. There are extensive guidelines in place for these early practices that limit the capacity and duration of workouts, prohibit the sharing of water bottles and some equipment, require more thorough and regular cleaning of facilities and more, but Macon County Schools still allowed practices as early as possible and Baldwin doesn’t expect any problems.
“We will be closely following every guideline that the state puts in place for us,” Baldwin said. “We’re keeping a close eye on things.”
The first day North Carolina schools can reopen is set at Monday, Aug. 17. For more information on the state’s plans to reopen schools, go online to bit.ly/2Z2sgqo.