Raleigh, NC – The state Senate gave final approval on Tuesday to a measure that would force school districts in North Carolina to reopen its doors to students who want the personal learning option during the coronavirus pandemic.
With a 29-15 vote – two Democrats joined Republicans in the Senate to support the measure – Senate Bill 37 is now heading to the House. He is scheduled to go through two committees on Wednesday before the floor vote on Thursday, which means he could be on Governor Roy Cooper’s office by the end of the week.
Cooper expressed reservations about the bill, saying decisions on reopening should be left to local school boards. However, he called on districts last week to attract more students to classrooms.
The bill would give school districts two weeks to plan before bringing students back to the classrooms safely, at least part-time. It would also require the full-time personal learning option for all students with special needs and those with IEPs or an individualized education program.
Schools should follow all safety guidelines, including the 6-foot distance for high school and high school students.
The Wake County Public School System recently asked principals if they could keep students at a distance of 6 feet if students attend school daily or on a rotating basis.
For middle schools, 85 percent said they can only do this if students attend school on a rotating basis. Only 5% said they could keep enough distance if the entire student body participated daily.
For high schools, 93 percent said they could keep 6 feet apart if students participated in the rotation. No one said they could do that if students participated daily.
Experts at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said schools could reopen safely if distance and other safety protocols, including masks, were followed.
But some teachers have backed down against the reopening bill, arguing that they should be vaccinated first to reduce the risk to themselves and their families.
Dr. Katie Jordan, a pediatrician at UNC Health, said teachers have a legitimate concern.
“I think a study that looked at teachers and school staff said that about 50% have a higher risk of COVID complications,” Jordan said.
Research in North Carolina schools last fall found no cases of students giving the teachers the virus. However, she mentioned that these studies were done in schools using a mixture of personal and online courses and a lot of distance – not schools that operate at full capacity.