North Carolina public schools will be continuing their remote instruction for the rest of the academic year.

Governor Roy Cooper, state Superintendent Mark Johnson and other state officials made the announcement on Friday, continuing the teaching model put in place for educators and students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The decision to finish the year by remote learning was not made lightly, but it is the right thing to do to protect our students, teachers and communities,” said Cooper. “This is a difficult time for many children and parents, and I am grateful for all the educators, administrators, support staff and parents who have gone the extra mile to keep children learning.”

The governor had previously ordered all North Carolina public schools to conduct online education through May 15 as the state worked to mitigate the coronavirus’ spread and plan a course of action. Friday’s announcement follows the extension of the statewide stay at home order until May 8, as Cooper signed into executive order on Thursday.

Cooper also said it’s unclear whether schools will reconvene in person come August, but said it would certainly not be a complete return to normal operations. He cited not just protecting the health of students, but also educators and staff as being a top priority.

“There’s been a lot of hard work and planning on how we [could] provide hygiene and cleaning, how we space students,” said the governor. “We may not be doing sports or common areas, it depends on what our data shows us and what our experts say. It’s about creating a safe environment.”

The state government is continuing to work and find solutions for students who do not have the proper resources for online learning, according to officials. They described this next step of remote instruction as a ‘readiness’ phase compared to the ‘reaction’ stage the schools have been operating in the last month.

Additionally, Cooper talked about two partnerships, one with AT&T and one with Duke Energy, to help online learning. The companies will help provide a combined 180 internet hotspots that will be set up on school buses to help students without adequate internet access. North Carolina Board of Education Chair Eric Davis said this will help students who have been relying on school buses to drop off physical lessons and learning materials on a daily basis.

Johnson said information on grading instructions and guidelines for this academic year will be sent to parents and educators in the coming days.

The governor also shared his budget recommendation for state relief regarding the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of next week’s General Assembly meeting. Part of that proposal includes increased funding for both Pre-K – 12 schools and higher education to continue their transitions to online learning and for disinfection of facilities ahead of a potential return in the fall.

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