CMS Schools To Begin In-Person, Go Full Remote: Details

CHARLOTTE, NC — When the new school year begins Aug. 17 in North Carolina, students of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will return to their classrooms for a two-week orientation, then transition to full online remote learning, school officials announced.

The decision about how to resume instruction in Mecklenburg County, which has become the epicenter of COVID-19 in the state, was made during an emergency Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education meeting held Wednesday evening.

When schools reopen, according to the plan CMS officials call "Plan B-Plus Remote," students will attend orientation in person at schools on a rotational basis that will allow for social distancing.

Says CMS: "The onboarding period will consist of students being assigned to one of three groups; one-third of students will be assigned to group A, the next one-third will be assigned to group B, and the next one-third to group C. Students will attend in-person onboarding instruction on their group’s assigned days within the first two weeks of the school year."

After the initial "onboarding days," remote learning will be offered for all students, which school officials say will also provide flexibility for teachers and staff.

During week three, gears will shift to full remote learning and an end to in-person instruction. School buildings, however, will remain open for essential staff, CMS said.

“We are confident that Plan B-Plus Remote is the best plan for educating our students,” Elyse Dashew, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education chairperson, said in a statement. “We want to provide a rigorous educational experience in the safest way possible for our students and staff.”

Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper laid out the state's blueprint for schools to reopen in August, announcing that schools would be reopening with a hybrid plan that allowed a choice for families between in-person instruction with social distancing and safety protocols, such as face covering mandates, or full remote learning.

Highlights of the school reopening plan include:

• Face coverings will be required for every teacher, staff, and student in grades kindergarten through high school
• The state will provide at least five reusable face coverings for every student, teacher and staff member
• Limitation on the number of people allowed in school buildings to ensure social distancing of 6 feet
• Conducting symptom screenings, including temperature checks, daily before students enter school buildings
• Establishing a process and space for those who are ill
• Regular cleaning on high-touch surfaces
• Frequent hand washing requirements throughout the school day
• Discontinuing activities that bring together large groups
• Limit nonessential visitors
• Discontinuing the use of self-service food or beverage distribution

Schools are also encouraged to designate one-way hallways and entrances, keep students and teachers in small groups, eat meals in classrooms and install physical barriers like plexiglass at reception areas.

Under the plan, school districts can also choose, like CMS, to implement all-remote learning.

"The start of school is a month away for most of our children & we know a lot can happen with the virus during that time," Cooper said. "If trends spike and in-person school cannot be done safely with these safety protocols, then we will need to move to all remote learning like we did in March."

As of Wednesday, Mecklenburg County reported nearly 16,000 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, and 169 COVID-19 deaths.

North Carolina's tally of confirmed cases COVID-19 by 1,782 in the span of a day, increasing the number of known cases in the state to 91,266, the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

SEE ALSO:

• All NC High School Sports Delayed Until At Least Sept. 1
• 1,142 COVID-19 Hospitalizations, 16 New Deaths Reported In NC
• NC Schools To Reopen, Offer Choice For Online Learning: Cooper