NORTH CAROLINA, USA — One year after the WHO declared COVID-19 an international emergency, debate continues in North Carolina over how schools should approach education during the ongoing pandemic.
More than 100 people gathered in front of the NC Governor's Executive Mansion in Raleigh on Saturday, demanding the schools reopen now - holding signs, chanting, and making their voices heard.
On Monday or Tuesday of this coming week, NC Republican lawmakers are expected to unveil a bill that would mandate all public school districts offer in-person learning, with the option of virtual learning still available.
In a press release, Sen. Deanna Ballard (R-Watauga), who co-chairs the Senate Education Committee, said, "Among all the COVID tragedies, the most preventable is the lost learning potential that, for some kids, will last a lifetime. After hearing from so many parents and teachers, we have to act immediately to return children to the classroom to stop further damage."
Lawmakers in the press release cited a study in JAMA published last week, concluding that "accumulating data now suggest a path forward to maintain or return primarily or fully to in-person instructional delivery." The authors also cite data from schools that reopened for in-person learning during fall 2020 showing that they did not contribute meaningfully to COVID-19 community spread.
Legislators also pointed to a joint UNC-Duke University study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, which found that COVID-19 transmission was much lower among 11 NC school districts compared to community spread during the 2020-2021 school year.
In response to the legislation announcement that would require schools to offer in-person learning, the North Carolina Association of Educators released a statement.
'We, as NCAE, have always advocated for the return to in-person instruction when it was safe to do so, and in some places in North Carolina that is possible," Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said in a statement Thursday. "However, in many schools, it is physically impossible to adhere to the necessary social distancing, masking, and hygiene requirements that will keep educators and students safe.
"We will wait to see the details of any proposed legislation, but we think the decision to return to in-person instruction should be left to local boards of education who can best assess the constantly evolving situation on the ground."
Rep. Jon Hardister, a Republican from District 59/Guilford County, spoke with WFMY News 2 about the forthcoming bill.
"The ultimate goal of the bill is obvious, it’s to get our schools to reopen," Hardister said. "Many students in NC have been out of school for almost a year now. I am hearing from a lot of parents who are concerned about their student’s academic success, about their social development, there is also a lot of concern about mental health."
Hardister said it's hard to generalize about North Carolina's public schools when it comes to in-person versus virtual leaning, since many school districts and grade levels are operating under different plans currently.
"We all know we have to get children back in schools at some time. Schools cannot remain closed in perpetuity," Hardister said. "It's not a tenable situation for education, it's not good for academics, it's not good for social development, it's not sustainable, at some point we have to have that conversation, I think now is the time to do that."
Hardister said he understands that some teachers may be concerned about their health, and that he believes there should be special consideration for at-risk educators. He also said he is open to moving teachers ahead in the vaccine line.
In Guilford County, public school students in grades 6-12 have not returned to in-person learning since closures began during the spring semester of 2020. Re-entry for these grades has been delayed multiple times by the school board.
Grades Pre-K through 5th in Guilford County resumed in-person learning on Jan. 5, 2021.
The situation looks very different for private schools in the Piedmont-Triad.
At Burlington Christian Academy, parent Allison Parker says her children have been going to school full-time in person since August 2020.
"Our administration has just been great. It's very different this year, but it's been great for us and our kids," Parker said.
Her two kids are in Kindergarten and 8th grade. She says the school has taken significant safety precautions, including limiting non-essential people in the classroom, requiring masks at all times, and increasing school cleanings.
"Our teachers are rotating instead of our children. Our daughter in middle school would usually change classes, but this year she stays in the same class all day, so it's different, but they've found a way to make it work," Parker said.
Parker's school did move to virtual leaning during spring 2020, so she says the family has experienced both ways of learning. She says they appreciated the time spent together, but it became difficult at times for all to remain productive while Parker worked from home.
"Teenagers and kids in general they need interaction with other kids and teachers," Parker said. "I think this virus is here to stay. I think this is the new way of life for us. I think our kids need to be in school, they need interaction with teachers."
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