On Monday, Governor Roy Cooper, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson, State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis and Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen shared health guidance to reopen public schools.
Cooper says the opening of schools will depend on health metrics. “We very much want to open the school buildings but won’t open them and make a reckless decision when it is so important,” Cooper stated. “We know this coming school year will be like no other.”
Cooper says he’s concerned that a number of coronavirus metrics are trending upward. “Our important mission of opening school buildings on time could be affected by the failure to slow the spread,” Cooper said. “We do not want that to happen.” The governor says If we’re careless now, we don’t just risk our own health, we risk the ability to get our students back in the classroom.
Schools have been asked to plan for reopening under three scenarios: minimal social distancing, moderate social distancing or remote learning only. Officials will announce by July 1 which of those three plans should be implemented for schools to most safely reopen.
The officials say the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit is a first step to help public schools find a safe way to open in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year. It lays out a set of health practices that schools should follow to minimize risk of COVID-19 exposure for students, staff and families.
Developed by state health and education officials with input from local superintendents, state board of education members, and others, the toolkit includes requirements and recommendations for eight areas. They include social distancing, face coverings, protecting vulnerable populations, cleaning and hygiene, monitoring for symptoms, handling cases of COVID-19 (suspected, presumptive or confirmed), communication and combating misinformation, water and ventilation systems, transportation, and coping and resilience.
Officials say the toolkit will be a companion to operational guidance that’s being developed by the Department of Public Instruction that will offer strategies for how to implement public health guidance and will address other areas for reopening planning such as scheduling, instructional practice and staff training.
“We are working together to balance the need for all of our children to get back to school – especially children who rely on public schools for their education, health, safety and nutrition – while at the same time proceeding cautiously and deliberately to protect their health and safety,” said Chairman Davis. “I know meeting these public health requirements will take a tremendous effort by our schools – but I also know we are doing the right thing and that our schools will rise to the challenge.”