North Carolina Leaders Announce Plan To Reopen Schools

Weeks after strongly urging schools across North Carolina to reopen, Gov. Roy Cooper, along with other state lawmakers, announced a new bill that will bring students across the state back into the classroom.

According to WCNC, all elementary schools will operate under Plan A, or full in-person learning, while middle and high schools can operate under Plan A or Plan B (hybrid model), as determined by their local districts. Senate Leader Phil Berger said districts moving their middle and high schools into Plan A are required to notify the state health department and detail their plan. WRAL reports that all grades will have to provide parents the option for online-only learning.

"DHHS will not have the authority to veto a district's plan to move to Plan A," said Berger. "However, the governor will be given the authority to order a closure, restriction or reduction of operations within schools, but must only do so on a district-by-district basis."

Gov. Cooper previously vetoed a bill that would have required all schools to reopen, claiming that it lacked certain conditions such as social distancing and requiring schools to follow state and local COVID-19 guidelines. However, this new agreement, he said, will allow students to return to schools while allowing the state to "retain our ability to protect students and educators in an emergency."

"The good news is I think we all want the same thing: to open our schools for in-person instruction for all students and to do it safely with important emergency protections," said Cooper. "I believe, and our public health leaders agree, that we can do that safely with precautions like face masks and other safeguards found in the public schools tool kit."

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