LIST: Central NC public schools tentative reopening plans

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)– Schools in North Carolina have been discussing plans on how to reopen safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June, Gov. Roy Cooper said he wants school buildings to reopen, but he “won’t be reckless with such an important decision.”

While Cooper has not announced a statewide reopening plan for North Carolina schools, many schools have a plan prepared based on guidelines from the state.

Here is a list with tentative plans for public schools in the following counties:

Wake County

Schools will likely open under what Wake County Public Schools calls Plan B – a combination of in-person and remote learning.

Durham County

Durham Public Schools Superintendent Pascal Mubenga will host a virtual town hall meeting Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to share more details about the plan for DPS to welcome students back this fall.

Johnston County Public Schools

The district said it, along with all North Carolina schools, is preparing for the following scenarios:

• Plan A: All students return to school with minimal social distancing including enhanced health and sanitation protocols.
• Plan B: Limited students (50 percent of students physically present at one time) returning to school with moderate social distancing and further enhanced health and sanitation protocols.
• Plan C: No students return to school and remote learning continues. 

Orange County

Orange County Public Schools says it is waiting for further guidance from the state before it makes plans for the 2020-2021 school year.

Cumberland County

Cumberland County Schools held a meeting on July 9 to discuss the 2020-2021 traditional school year.

The committee presented three plans and recommended going with a plan that includes blended learning by rotating weeks between different student groups.

In this plan, all grade-level students would be split into groups to rotate participation between in-person and remote instruction.

Previously, Cumberland County Schools announced that its four year-round schools would begin the 2020-2021 school year remotely on July 9.

However, based on a recent legal opinion from the North Carolina General Assembly, the district’s year-round schools will now follow the traditional calendar and begin the new school year on August 17, the release said.

Wayne County

Wayne County Public Schools are conducting a number of surveys to get parent and staff input on reopening decisions in the fall.

Wilson County

Wilson County Schools have decided to have online-only classes for the first nine weeks of the school year. They will re-evaluate the plan after that.

Nash County

Nash County Public Schools says it has started a NCPS Reopening Task Force. The task force is in the early stages of planning for the 2020-21 school year.

A final draft of the reopening plan for Nash County schools is expected in late July.