The Orange County Schools district will begin its school year using an exclusively remote model out of concerns for the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in the county.
The district decided on Thursday in an emergency meeting to begin the 2020-21 school year with virtual learning until at least September. The board will meet again next week to talk about details of the plan and whether to keep some or all students in online classes until the end of the first grading period in October.
Earlier in the day, Superintendent Dr. Monique Felder wrote that she recommended the plan to the Orange County Schools Board of Education.
“In order to take every precaution for our students and staff,” Felder wrote, “I will recommend to the Board of Education that we reopen under Plan C (closed with remote learning) for the first four weeks of school. After that, we will look at the data, and in partnership with the Orange County Department of Health and Human Services and our community, we will reassess our plans.”
The decision comes shortly after Orange County crossed 1,000 total recorded cases of the coronavirus this week. While state officials recommended a hybrid model of both in-person instruction and remote learning on Tuesday, they also said schools could move to all-remote learning at their own discrepancy.
Orange County Schools’ decision on Thursday indicated the goal for remote learning is to ultimately return to classrooms for students to receive in-person teaching. The district makes that distinction due to the launch of a new program called the Orange County Schools Virtual Academy this year. This opportunity is presented as a 100 percent online learning program where students will not receive or rely on any in-person instruction for the entire school year.
The school district said there are unlimited seats for both current and new students in its Virtual Academy, with parents needing to fill out an application to join. Orange County Schools leadership will be holding four information sessions starting Thursday for families interested in learning more about the new program. Two virtual sessions for kindergarten through 8th grade families are from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Sessions for high school families are from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the same days. Families can submit questions regarding the OCS Virtual Academy ahead of the meetings.
In Thursday’s release, Felder said she wants the Orange County Schools community to know the goal is still to have in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year once the pandemic is more contained.
“Please know that I too want our students back in our school buildings,” the superintendent wrote. “I want to hear their laughter and learning fill the hallways; however, now is not the time. We all have a part to play in reopening. Together, we can slow the spread and get back to seeing each other and our students in our school buildings.”
On Thursday evening, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district will also hold an emergency meeting to decide whether or not to move to Plan C for the beginning of the school year.
To read the full release from the Orange County Schools district, visit its website.
Photo via WTOC.
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