“It is not safe for the staff, the students, or the families those staff and students will come home to in the evening.”. Sears is also concerned that the county’s infection rates have not trended downward since August when the school system began remote learning. Valladares says she has witnessed a succession of fundraisers by the Latinx community to bury their loved ones. You can unsubscribe at any time. Close Alert Banner. Follow Durham Staff Writer Thomasi McDonald on Twitter or send an email to tmcdonald@indyweek.com. Email or Phone: Password: Forgot account? Despite COVID-19 cases spiking and new protective measures ordered by Governor Roy Cooper, the Durham school board narrowly approved the reopening of elementary schools in a limited capacity—known as Plan B—in a recent vote. “It’s about making sure staff and students are safe,” Burton said. DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — During a Durham Public Schools Board of Education meeting Thursday, members approved an athletic reopening plan that would allow certain sports to continue on Oct. 26. She attended Durham’s Creekside Elementary School. Create New Account. She suggested school board members “develop specific, clear, evidence-based criteria on which to base the decision to return” and “take all necessary steps to significantly mitigate risks to staff and students in school.” Hawn also stressed the importance of board members along with communicating their plans to parents and teachers to enable families to make informed decisions. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Although the Cumberland County board said its “Virtual Academy” will be offered pending state approval, SBE Chairman Eric Davis told Policy Watch he … “It’s hurting them to not be in school and with their teachers.”. “A lot of families have not forgotten that we lost a student,” said Valladares, referring to 8-year-old Aurea Yolotzin Soto Morales, the first pediatric death in the state. The plan was approved by a 5-2 vote. “There needs to be time for language access,” Valladares explained. Teachers are not trained to teach remotely, she said. 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In Durham, the percentage of positive tests is 6.3%, as of Thursday, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard. “They both recently expressed to me how much they hate school,” said Hawn who added, “they are clearly falling behind.”. “I have huge unreadiness about this plan, and it is first because the metrics are not conservative enough,” said Beyer. DPS teachers are anxious about returning to classrooms, said Michelle Burton, president of the Durham Association of Educators, in an interview with The News & Observer. Pascal Mubenga, the superintendent of Durham County Public Schools, described the move to reopen the county’s 30 elementary schools a “tough … “How do we make room for families with the least flexibility, and the most need?” she asked. “I haven’t seen 10 to 14 days of declining rates yet,” he said. “How do we plan to keep families safe?”. Orange and Durham county schools are closing starting Monday, March 16, because of the coronavirus.Orange County schools plans to reopen on Monday, April 6. Parents, educators react to Durham Public Schools 2020-21 reopen plan. Durham Public School announced how the district will reopen if it must reduce school capacity to 50% and bus capacity to no more than 33%. Roy Cooper asked all public school systems and charter schools to prepare three reopening plans contingent on the coronavirus pandemic's severity. Sign up for the Afternoon Update and get the day’s biggest stories in your inbox. “It is causing our child great distress, leading to great distress within our family,” she told the board. “We will not reopen if it is unsafe,” said Chip Sudderth, chief communications officer for DPS. “Despite heroic efforts from our teachers to try to make it work, I (and my children) remain utterly dissatisfied with remote learning,” Hawn wrote in a lengthy recent email to the board members. DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Seventeen-year-old Mason Pickett will not physically … School leaders across the state are … Sections of this page. Support independent local journalism. Black residents make up nearly 30 percent; white residents, a little over 20 percent. “There are families experiencing traumatic experiences and episodes with kids who have missed school for months,” Lewis said. “As an only child without family in the area, our child needs more interaction with human beings than an online academic program is offering, and his social needs are leading to behavioral problems he didn't have before COVID.”, Franklin later added that remote learning, “is not a sustainable academic program for our family; it's causing more harm than good.”. Notated by the Latinx community to bury their loved ones a hybrid model of remote and in-person instruction, groups! Help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage in. 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