CMS reverses plan for in-person orientation, votes to reopen with remote learning

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will reopen under full remote instruction this fall, walking back an earlier move to begin school with two weeks of rotational, socially distant in-person orientation for students.

Superintendent Earnest Winston said that staffing shortages among school nurses, custodians and bus drivers, in addition to a number of teacher vacancies, compromised the district’s plans to be able to provide face-to-face instruction safely and effectively.

“It is important that everyone understand we want our students and teachers in school, but only when it is safe to do so,” Winston said. “I recognize the tremendous burden these decisions place on our families. This change means more work for them... but the safety of our students and our staff takes priority over everything else.”

Winston said CMS currently has 50 custodial vacancies and roughly 80 bus driver vacancies, which would be hard to fill due to a backlog at the DMV. There are currently about 40 open listings for school nurses, which are filled by the county, and 70 for teachers, Winston said.

“There are some things that are simply out of our control,” Winston said. “These things compromise our ability to safely open schools.”

Winston said the vacancies alone were not the only concern, noting that a ripple effect occurs each time an employee tests positive as those who came into contact with them must self-isolate. In July alone, Winston said, 70 transportation employees had to self-quarantine as a result of possible coronavirus exposure.

“We’ve had a number of positive cases within our staff,” Winston said. “It also impacts a number of other staff members who may have had contact. I can’t reiterate enough the impact the virus is having.”

CMS joins dozens of other districts in the state reopening under full remote instruction, meaning the majority of the state’s students will not begin the year in the classroom.

The district will offer some in-person instruction to specific students with disabilities, who require accommodations or a learning environment that cannot be provided through a remote setting. The district will evaluate students to see who qualifies, though the year will begin remote for all students prior to those evaluations.

The shift to open under remote learning also follows vocal and significant pushback from teachers and other school based employees, who said they were worried about the risk of exposing their students and families to the virus during the two-week period. Dozens spoke at a recent board meeting calling on CMS to switch to a fully remote plan to start, citing Mecklenburg County’s struggles to contain the virus.

The county is currently a hotspot for COVID-19, leading the state in deaths and confirmed cases, with more than 19,000 people testing positive. Winston said the district had put together a task force to come up with metrics to use as a guide for when to bring students back to school.

Board member Rhonda Cheek said that while the county’s health metrics had not substantially changed since the board’s vote, those metrics are not the only ones that must be considered during reopening. She said that she did not feel like the district had met 95 to 100% readiness when it came to staffing, facilities and safety measures like protective equipment, and that was not good enough.

“This is not a criticism of any one person,” Cheek said. “We failed to accomplish a goal we set March 13. We were going to be ready to reopen our buildings as soon as we could. Our buildings, our facilities, our procurement of safety materials, we are not ready, and that is so disappointing.”

Cheek also said that while schools were remote for students, that did not mean they would necessarily be remote for teachers. She said she would like to see teachers working from their classrooms as it would be less of a safety concern if they were there alone.

The issue of remote versus onsite work, even during teacher workdays where no students are on campus, has been a point of concern among school-based employees. They have raised issues about older buildings, poor ventilation, and how to navigate shared spaces even if only employees are onsite.

Winston said school-based employees will be expected to be onsite for work from workdays from August 6 through the 14th. Employees are strongly encouraged to work onsite through August 28, Winston said, but may work from home afterwards. Those who are considered high-risk can request an alternative assignment. CMS officials have said that while staff are encouraged to teach from their classrooms, they would not be required to do so.

Orignally, CMS would have shifted to remote instruction for all students after the orientation period, with the goal of bringing students back to the classroom for more in-person instruction should the county’s coronavirus metrics improve. Students enrolled in the district’s full remote academy option would not be required to attend the orientation days or return to classrooms if the district chose to do so.

Roughly one-third of the district’s students opted out of in-person learning, with more than 52,000 registering for the online academy by the original registration deadline. The deadline was later extended after parents and principals raised concerns about having difficulty with the sign-up process. Parents can still enroll their student in the virtual option by contacting their child’s school directly, until Aug. 3.

This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 3:46 PM.