No plans for ‘Plan A.’ CMS says it will not use new NC school reopening option

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is not considering further reopening made possible by Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to lift the cap on the number of students who can attend elementary schools in-person, officials said Thursday.

Limitations on public schools have been in place since March, when Cooper ordered students and teachers to move classrooms online in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

CMS’s current plan would bring roughly one-third of students in-person each week, rotating students in three groups starting with the youngest students. Patrick Smith, assistant superintendent for communications, said the district would consider bringing larger numbers of students when local conditions supported the move.

Under new North Carolina guidelines announced Thursday, elementary schools can reopen without capacity limits starting on Oct. 5. Schools would still have to maintain social distancing and implement safety measures like masks and sanitation.

CMS board members, only the night before Cooper’s announcement, voted 6-3 to approve moving from virtual-only instruction to “Plan B,” a staggered and gradual plan that brings a small portion of some students and teachers back to the classroom.

Cooper’s move allows more flexibility to school districts for partially ending remote learning for the youngest of students. But districts may also continue a hybrid of in-person and virtual class or keep school buildings closed to students. Middle and high schools, under state rules, are not yet allowed to reopen at full capacity.

“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.”

Smith said Plan A is optional as Cooper left school boards the authority to make reopening decisions “based on what is right for individual districts.”

“The approved recommendation voted on last night by our BOE represents a measured, evidence-based approach to returning students to our facilities in a manner that shows appropriate concern for their wellbeing, as well as for that of our staff and all CMS families,” Smith said.

In a statement, he added: “When local conditions indicate it is appropriate to bring larger numbers of students together in the classroom, we will make that recommendation to our board.”

On Wednesday, the CMS board voted to begin a 12-week, phased approach to bring students back for in-person learning starting Oct. 12. Board members who supported the plan said it was the best balance of caution with the pressing need for students to return to the classroom.

Three board members — Sean Strain, Rhonda Cheek and Margaret Marshall — voted against the plan and said they believed CMS needed a more accelerated timeline for bringing students back to the classroom.

Marshall said that she was surprised by Cooper’s announcement and that she was happy to hear the state’s metrics had progressed to allow the option of Plan A. She did not anticipate the announcement to change anything for CMS, which she said was working towards implementing a successful transition to Plan B.

Some details of Cooper’s announcement, such as how to maintain social distancing at full capacity, remained unclear, Marshall said. She said she supported the return under Plan B, but had hoped for a timeline that brought students in faster, with shorter wait times between each phase.

“If the health of our community improves, we could make things happen a lot faster,” she said. “The healthier we get the faster we move.”

CMS is scheduled to begin reopening with students pre-K. Every three weeks, the district plans to add another cohort of grades, starting with K-5, then 6-8, then 9-12.

The earliest middle school students would return, according to district officials, is Nov. 23. Students would rotate between classrooms and virtual only. The plan calls for high school students possibly returning to school buildings for testing purposes in mid to late December.

The plan will take at least 12 weeks if there’s no COVID-19 spike locally.

District officials have adopted a reopening plan that allows for CMS to restrict classroom capacity or resume virtual-only learning if health department data shows coronavirus spread is worsening.

This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 5:57 PM.