Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1351489
12 UCW MARCH 17-23, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Cooper, state lawmakers announce school reopening deal by DAVID BASS NEWS Parents, school leaders describe consequences of remote-only learning by DAVID BASS Parents in 14 North Carolina public school districts would have the option of sending their children to full-time, in-person instruction under a local bill approved by the N.C. House K-12 Edu- cation Committee on Tuesday, March 9. e measure, House Bill 90, is designed as an end run around Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of Sen- ate Bill 37, which would have given all school districts in the state the option of fully reopening under "Plan A." Many school districts continue to operate under "Plan B," a hybrid approach com- bining part-time remote with part-time in-person. Republican lawmakers are now planning to introduce a series of local bills — which are not subject to a gubernatorial veto — to achieve the same goal, even as lawmakers and the governor negotiate on a compromise plan. "ese children are suffering," said the bill's primary sponsor, Rep. Pat McElraft, R- Carteret."We're seeing more drug addiction, more kids in trouble, more kids failing. eir future and ours depends on them getting a good education." H.B. 90 would apply to school districts in Beaufort, Brunswick, Burke, Carteret, Cleveland, Craven, Granville, Haywood, Jones, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Onslow, and Yancey counties. Lawmakers heard from local school officials who pleaded for the option to return to in- classroom instruction. Clark Jenkins, chair of the Carteret County School Board, shared how his daughter with special needs has thrived for years in the public school system. But all that came "crashing down" in March 2020 when classrooms shuttered. "I watched her lose her confidence, watched her cry every day," Jenkins said. "I learned she was cutting herself. Fortunately, as a dad I'm able to get involved and help her — through school, through church, and through private practice. But she represents thousands of kids across the state who don't have an involved dad, who don't have churches, who don't have counselors." Christine Hanks, the mother of a freshman stu- dent also in Carteret schools, noted that hybrid instruction is portrayed as a good compromise. "What's being compromised is our kids' educa- tion and their health and well-being," she said. "Plan B is a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. Our lo- cal leaders know our community best. ey know our educators, our students, our schools. Vote for this bill and show that you trust them as well." During debate, Republican lawmakers noted that H.B. 90 hands decision-making authority over to local districts and ultimately to parents. "e cool thing about this bill is that it doesn't tell anyone they have to do anything," said Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth. "It just says the local school board may reopen at their discretion. It gives them the option to do it. ey know at the local level what's best for their community." A handful of Democrats raised objections to the bill on constitutional grounds. By law, a local bill can't directly relate to health. "is note about constitutionality should give us pause," said Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Caswell. "We have all taken an oath to uphold the constitution. At the very least this is going to land us in court. With schools already on a path to reopening and discussions on a compromise on Senate Bill 37, I don't know why we would vote on a bill that might be unconstitutional." Republican sponsors countered that an amended version of the bill skirted any consti- tutional issues. H.B. 90 now heads to the House Local Government Committee. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers have reached an agreement on re- opening public schools for in-person instruction under a compromise plan that returns most deci- sion-making autonomy to local school boards. e compromise, announced at a news confer- ence Wednesday, March 10, means that most stu- dents could be back in public school classrooms 21 days after the bill is signed into law. at return would come after a year of remote-only or hybrid instruction for students. For families who still feel comfortable with remote-only learning, the bill requires local school systems to continue offering that option. Dr. Terry Stoops, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Founda- tion, said he's pleased the state's leaders came together to affirm their commitment to in-person learning. "e Cooper administration recognized that his veto of Senate Bill 37 was unpopular with North Carolinians and inconsistent with the sci- entific consensus on school reopening," Stoops said. "So, it's not surprising that he quickly ironed out his differences with the sponsors of the bill." "ankfully, with this agreement in place, thousands of public school children will have the option of in-person learning by early April. It is better late than never." In-person instruction will begin addressing students' academic deficiencies and their social and mental health needs. e news is a rare instance of Cooper appear- ing arm-in-arm with his Republican foes in the legislature. Joining Cooper were Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Republican Superin- tendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, and House Minority Leader Robert Rieves, D-Cha- tham were also in attendance. "We've reached a fair compromise that returns many students to full-time, in-person instruc- tion" said Berger. "is is good news that a lot of parents around the state have been waiting on for months — that is that students are going back to school," said Moore. "Coming to agreement after acrimony isn't al- ways easy, but it's the right thing to do for North Carolina," said Cooper. "Today, I'm pleased to stand with these leaders to announce a plan to get all students back in the classroom safely and surely." e new plan directs local school boards to give students in kindergarten through fifth grade the option of returning to "Plan A" in-person classroom instruction, requiring minimal social distancing. For middle- and high-school stu- dents, school boards will have a choice between "Plan A" and "Plan B," which requires more strin- gent social distancing. In the case of middle and high schools, the bill specifies that authority on that decision rests solely with the school board, except in cases where a student has identified special needs through an Individualized Learning Plan or 504 plan. Also for middle and high schools that do move to Plan A, they are required to notify the state Department of Health and Human Services and partner with the ABC Science Collaborative of the School of Medicine at Duke University to "collect and analyze data" and report on contact tracing. e bill removes from Cooper the power to close schools statewide. Cooper still has the option of closing specific school districts "when necessary to protect the health and safety of students and employees in that unit," but Cooper must state his reasons for doing so. e bill will first appear before the Senate Edu- cation Committee on Wednesday before heading to the Senate Rules Committee. e full chamber is scheduled to vote today later that afternoon, with the House taking up the measure later Wednesday or ursday morning. "We are potentially a few dozen hours away from local districts having the option of returning to Plan A," said Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga. "We've heard from a lot of parents and school children. I want to applaud families who are so engaged — more engaged than ever in their stu- dent's education — and the importance of what that means for their future." DAVID BASS, Carolina Journal News Service. COMMENTS? editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. DAVID BASS, Carolina Journal News Service. COMMENTS? editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.