Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that North Carolina public school districts will be permitted to reopen for their elementary school students only – in kindergarten through 5th grade.
“As we laid out this summer, option A continues to include important safety measures like required face coverings for all students, teachers and staff, social distancing and symptom screening,” Cooper said during an afternoon news conference.
Plan A does not require schools to reduce the number of children in the classroom. Students in grades 6-12 still must operate only under Option B, which is partially in person and partially remote or Option C, which is all remote.
“I want to be clear, Plan A may not be right at this time for many school districts and for every family,” Cooper said. “Opportunities for remote learning need to be available for families who choose it. And districts will have the flexibility to select a plan based on their unique situation.”
The move follows several weeks of stable COVID-19 trends and continued low virus spread in school settings, Cooper said. Beginning on October 5, North Carolina public school districts and charter schools can choose to implement Plan A for elementary schools (grades K-5). Plan A continues to include important safety measures like face coverings for all students, teachers and staff, social distancing, and symptom screening, but does not require schools to reduce the number of children in the classroom.
As the governor announced in July, every district will continue to have flexibility to select Plan A, B or C based on their unique needs. In addition, districts should still provide an option for families to select all remote learning for their students. Read the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit to learn more about the requirements under each plan.
Dare County Board of Education members will meet Oct. 1 to discuss going back to school plans.
The Currituck County school board will hold a special meeting this Monday, also to talk about returning to the classroom.
