Gov. Roy Cooper announced that schools in North Carolina would reopen under a modified Plan B – which requires schools to operate at 50 percent capacity – on Tuesday, July 14.
Cooper was supposed to make the announcement about school reopening that by state law is set for Monday, August 17, on July 1, but delayed that decision for two weeks. This gives schools barely a month to handle the logistics of operating at 50 percent capacity, requiring teachers, students and staff to all wear face masks and requiring school buses to carry no more than one child per seat, to name a couple of the restrictions.
Schools can choose to adopt Plan C, which is only virtual and no classroom instruction, like the order that went in to place March 14, closing all the schools in the state and requiring that all classes be taught virtually.
Cooper said that he had the power to ignore the state law that required in classroom instruction to begin on August 17.
Republican leaders of the state legislature were not shy about denouncing Cooper’s decision.
NC Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) in a press release said, “Gov. Cooper’s plan gets students halfway to where they need to be. But much like jumping over a creek, halfway doesn’t cut it.
“The Governor’s plan makes worse the very inequities a public school system is supposed to resolve. Students whose parents do not have the time or resources to supplement ‘virtual’ schooling will fall even further behind simply because of the condition of their birth. That’s an unspeakable travesty.
“And parents who do not have the privilege of working from home can’t take off every other day from work. What are they supposed to do?
“The Governor permits parents to choose full remote learning – he must also permit parents to choose full in-person learning as well.
“I also have serious questions about the requirement for masks on five-year-olds, which contradicts the Cooper Administration’s own guidance for child care centers. What happens when a kindergartner removes a mask? Does the Governor really expect teachers to have any chance of enforcing this mandate?”
John
Cone hospital is now counting positive anti body tests as positive cases. This sure would throw the numbers into disarray.
1. Does Governor Dictator have the ability to close Charter schools? If not, parents DO have a choice to receive in person, full-time, instruction. Take kids out of DPI public schools and put them in Charter public schools.
2. More one size fits all, which not even the Rust Belt governors do. They allow county by county responses. Parts of Pennsylvania and New York states are in Phase 3. All but 4 or 5 counties in this state ought to be Phase 3. Most mountain counties ought to have no restrictions at all. They’ve been almost unaffected at all by this scourge on the planet.
Opening schools is a complicated ordeal that this article attempts to simplify. Not mentioned in this article is the risk to school personnel or family members who have pre-existing conditions that make them at risk for complication if contracting COVID-19. Interesting that this article does not mention the virus by name at any point. Of course, children need social interaction and in-person instruction, but where is the funding to make this a safe and responsible experience for all involved. It has been proven that people in this state are not able to contain this virus on their own accord and children are placed in this environment in which the pandemic is not controlled. Instead of placing blame, why not offer responsible, intelligent, and informed solutions.
Gov Cooper is flat out of his mind! Typical Democrat response to a problem ! Idiocy, plain and simple !
Your governor is a total idiot. I hope the good people of north Carolina remember all his stupid decisions and doesn’t reelect him.