Raleigh, NC – The Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to a measure that would force school districts across North Carolina to reopen their doors to students who want the opportunity to learn in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
With the vote of 29-15 – two Democrats joined Senate Republicans to support the measure – Senate Law 37 now goes to the House. It is scheduled to go through two committees on Wednesday before a vote is taken on Thursday, meaning it could be on Governor Roy Cooper’s desk by the end of the week.
Cooper has reservations about the bill, saying that reopening decisions should be left to local school boards. Still, last week he urged districts to get more students into classrooms.
The bill would give school districts two weeks to plan before students return to class safely, at least part-time. It also requires the option of full-time, personalized learning for all students with special needs and those with IEPs or an individualized education program.
Schools should follow all safety guidelines, including a 6-foot distance for high school and high school students.
The Wake County public school system recently investigated whether school principals could keep students six feet apart if students attended school on a daily or rotating basis.
Of the high schools, 85 percent said they could only do it if students alternated between going to school. Only 5 percent said they could maintain enough distance if the entire student body was present on a daily basis.
For high schools, 93 percent said they could maintain a 6-foot distance if students were alternately present. No one said they could do it if students attended daily.
Experts from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have said schools can reopen safely if remote and other safety protocols, including masks, are followed.
But some teachers have pushed back against the reopening law, arguing that they should be vaccinated first to reduce the risk to themselves and their families.
Dr. Katie Jordan, a pediatrician at UNC Health, said teachers have a legitimate concern.
“I think a study that looked at teachers and staff in schools said that about 50 percent are at higher risk of complications from COVID,” Jordan said.
Research done in schools in North Carolina last fall found no cases where students gave the virus to teachers. But she noted that those studies were done in schools with a mix of in-person and online classes and lots of distances – not schools that are operating at full capacity.