CMS Delays Return To Classrooms For Middle School Students

CHARLOTTE, NC — Middle school students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools won't return to in-person instruction until early January after winter break, the school district announced. The decision to delay the return of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to classrooms in the district's traditional middle schools is a result of a shortage of more than 100 bus drivers, CMS said.

The district's 18,115 middle school students considered "non-full remote" had been slated to return to in-person instruction Nov. 23.

The scheduling change, which was affirmed by vote at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education meeting Tuesday, will have one exception, the district said. Students in grades sixth, seventh and eighth who attend K-8 schools will return Nov. 30.

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"The change was necessary because more than 100 of the district’s bus drivers have elected to use leave through Dec. 31, as permitted under the federal FFCRA (Families First Coronavirus Response Act)," CMS said. "This has created a shortage of bus drivers, making it impossible to observe the social-distancing requirements for school buses set by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper."

According to the district, it has 1,005 school buses scheduled for middle school students, however 122 drivers are currently on leave. Six bus driver positions are vacant.

The situation could potentially extend into early next year, depending on unknown variables, such as if Federal leave is extended beyond Dec. 31, statewide social distancing requirements change or the demand for more buses and drivers increases because more students request to return to in-person learning for the second half of the school year, CMS said.

"We know this is difficult for families who were planning on sending their middle schoolers back before winter break,” Board Chairperson Elyse Dashew said in a statement. “But we remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of our students as they travel to and from school, as well as in the classroom. Social distancing on our school buses is essential to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, the Board felt this change was necessary.”

Here's what CMS says about the new plan:
"Under the new timeline approved by the Board, students in grades six through eight who attend a K-8 school will rotate between in-person instruction and remote learning, with half of those students attending school Monday and Tuesday and the other half Thursday and Friday. Both groups will receive remote instruction on Wednesday. This aligns the schedules of the K-8 middle school students with the schedules of the K-5 elementary students. The full plan for returning to in-person instruction for students in grades six through eight can be found here."

Pressures from bus scheduling also prompted the school district to move up a deadline for CMS student families to transfer students into or out of Full Remote Academy. "Any CMS families who want to transfer their student, regardless of grade, from in-person instruction to the Full Remote Academy or from the Full Remote Academy to in-person instruction for the second semester must inform their school of the decision no later than Nov. 30," it said.

Beginning Nov. 16, CMS families will receive a survey to allow them to indicate whether students will attend in-person or remote for the second semester that begins Jan. 5, 2021, as well as their need for CMS-provided transportation.

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