While CMS school leaders await governor’s plans, reopening prep is moving forward

While school districts across North Carolina await a final decision from Gov. Roy Cooper on reopening schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders provided a preview of possible ways forward in the fall.

During a special meeting Wednesday of the board of education, district staff members presented three possible reopening plans the state asked districts to prepare, but no votes were taken. The options for the fall range from a complete return to school to operating at 50% capacity to a fully remote education.

District leaders said the path forward would depend on Cooper’s final decision. Earlier Wednesday, Cooper said a decision about school reopening would come in “the next couple of weeks,” The News & Observer reported. He had been expected to make an announcement on schools Wednesday but instead delayed a decision, saying officials need more time “to make sure we get this plan right.”

Deputy superintendent Matt Hayes said while the district has the freedom to implement a more restrictive plan than one required by state health and education leaders, CMS and other school districts can’t choose to pursue a less restrictive plan.

Whatever plan the district pursues will depend on the state of the pandemic in North Carolina, Hayes said. If COVID-19 metrics flatten or improve, CMS would likely move to all students back in school with minimal social distancing. But if trends worsen, the district will pursue a hybrid model, with schools at 50% capacity. Should metrics worsen significantly, CMS would turn to a full remote-learning model.

Schools have been closed to in-person instruction since mid-March. North Carolina is currently in Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan — with restrictions extended until at least July 17 because of an increase in cases and hospitalizations. State Republican leaders say students should return to school Aug. 17.

How would CMS reopening work?

Under the 50% capacity model, students in kindergarten through eighth grade would be split into thirds, with principals assigning students to one of three groups. Students would follow an A, B and C week schedule, rotating through one week in class and two weeks of remote learning.

At the high school level, students in grades nine through 11 will also follow a three-week rotational schedule, but will have remote learning on all Fridays. For seniors, classes will be remote every week except for Fridays, which will be in person.

Families with multiple children in CMS can be grouped by their home address to allow all students to be assigned into the same rotation, for minimal scheduling conflicts, Hayes said.

The three-group rotational plan allows the district to balance social distancing needs in classrooms and in transportation, as buses will have to operate with one student per seat, as opposed to the usual two or three.

In grades kindergarten through eighth, any family can opt for a fully remote learning experience, operating as a school-within-a-school model and keeping students assigned to their current school. The option would maintain access to any needed accommodations, including those for students with special needs and English language learners.

Hayes said many of the staff members who worked on the reopening plans, including himself and Superintendent Earnest Winston, are also parents of children in county schools.

“What we’re designing here is not just for everyone’s children, but for our own children,” Hayes said. “I want people to know out there that these are not decisions that were made light of heart. The one thing that did stand out first is safety for any of these models.”

How to address safety measures

Board chair Elyse Dashew said childcare remains a top concern for CMS families, and particularly for employees who also have children in the district.

“One of the key things we will need help from the community about is day care, during remote learning, for parents who cannot stay home with them,” Dashew said. “That’s going to be an all-call in our community. That’s not something we can solve by ourselves and that’s keeping me up at night.”

District leaders said they are working on a plan for employees to identify themselves as high-risk for COVID-19 complications while maintaining privacy, in order to minimize exposure for those most at risk.

Deputy superintendent Carol Stamper said the district has spent $2 million so far on materials such as personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to ready campuses for the fall. That spending has come from special state and federal coronavirus response funding, Stamper said.

Safety measures will include temperature checks and symptom screening for students and visitors to campus. Parents will need to attest that students are healthy before they can board a bus, and they will be screened again at school. In addition, protective equipment such as masks and plexiglass dividers for the front office will be used.

The state will also provide two months of equipment and personal protective equipment for those screening for symptoms, including one thermometer for every 100 students, gowns, face shields, gloves and surgical masks.

CMS administrators said many details are likely to change, pointing to the recently imposed state requirement to wear masks in public, which previously was optional.

The district has purchased two face coverings for each employee, and is exploring whether and how it could provide masks for students. Stamper said the district would increase the frequency of cleanings, but she also noted that 60 custodian job openings currently remain unfilled.