North Carolina Issued guidelines of what may happen when schools reopen amid COVID-19 this year. | Stock Photo
North Carolina Issued guidelines of what may happen when schools reopen amid COVID-19 this year. | Stock Photo
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued a 135-page guidebook that outlines various plans and rules for the reopening of the state's schools this fall amid efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guidelines ask school districts to create three different leveled plans A, B and C, which depending on the coronavirus data come July 1, the state will mandate the plan school districts will implement, the Carolina Journal reported on June 12.
The guidelines layout social distancing, disinfecting and health screening requirements with Plan A being the least restrictive, the Carolina Journal reported. Plan B would mean tighter restrictions that require staggered attendance and alternating between in-class and remote learning, while Plan C would be the worst-case scenario with only remote learning. The guidelines encourage but do not require face masks, according to the Carolina Journal.
Some state legislators and state Board of Education members are criticizing the plan, alleging it will cause teachers to spend most of their day enforcing social distancing instead of teaching, the Carolina Journal reported. Critics also said they would like to see more localized plans depending on the region or county's circumstances.
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