Clay County Schools Superintendent Dale Cole
A press conference given by Gov. Roy Cooper last week encouraged schools to return to full-time, inperson learning, but it left many people bewildered as to how to make that happen, particularly school administrators. Social distancing requirements make it difficult to physically accommodate classrooms and bus rides, among other issues.
While his message generated some confusion, it appears Cooper was referring only to the school districts still operating on virtual learning only plans, according to an article in Education NC. Clay County is currently operating under a staggered two-day on-site attendance coupled with virtual learning plan for middle and high schools. Kindergarten - 5th grade students have returned to four-day per week in-person learning with a fifth day of remote.
The school campus is closed for disinfecting on Wednesdays. Clay County Schools Superintendent Dale Cole applauded Cooper’s support for reopening schools and wants to help clear up any misconceptions surrounding the announcement. “First of all, I was very happy to see Gov. Cooper support the reopening of schools. This pandemic has laid bare to the nation how much we depend on public schools. Certainly, fully opening schools carries additional risk of virus spread. We should not minimize that. However, there are plenty of other dangers for many of our children that are brought into play whenever our schools are closed,” Cole said.
“Specific to the governor’s expressed support for reopening, it is important for the public to understand that the governor was asking all school districts to open up faceto-face learning ‘in some capacity that is within the N.C. Health and Human Services guidelines.’ Those guidelines currently require 6 feet of space between every person in a school building whenever everyone is stationary.”
He further explained that the plan requires students sit one to a seat on buses with the exception of those who live in the same household. “We do not have the physical space in our buildings or our buses to bring every student back under these guidelines,” Cole said. “ There are currently 25 school districts in North Carolina that still have no face-to-face learning. I think the governor’s goal was to pressure these districts into doing what Clay County Schools has been doing all year.” Cole explained some of the misconceptions he has encountered. “I have had some parents ask me when we are going to bring all of the kids back like the governor asked. I have explained to these folks that the governor was really just asking every school district in the state to do things the way Clay County Schools has been doing them this entire year,” he said.
“Others have asked me why we don’t just bring all students back without the governor’s permission. I have had to explain to these folks that this approach would be asking our school board to break the law,” Cole said. “I also explained that almost two-thirds of our funding, including all teacher and principal salaries, is provided by the state. If we elect not to follow state-level guidance, the governor could elect not to provide us with those funds.”
So what are the biggest obstacles schools face before they can return to normal learning? “The only obstacle we face right now is the guidance on safety requirements for grades 6-12 from the N.C. Health and Human Services Department. Once they feel they have enough data or research to show that we can open in some way without social distancing, even if we have to wear masks, we will be able to bring everyone back full time,” he said. “Based on recent reports from the CDC, I feel things are trending in that direction. I certainly hope so. I think a mitigating factor is the lack of vaccine access for our public school educators. For our teachers that have health conditions or older family members that live with them, it would certainly ease their minds to be vaccinated in a more timely manner,” he continued.
Regarding vaccines, Cole said he supports school employees getting vaccines before schools return to its traditional schedule. “I absolutely believe that public school employees should be prioritized for vaccination. If bringing all students back to school is the first priority, then it should be a priority to do everything we can to make sure the staff can work with students safely,” he said.
When asked if he has a general idea of what parents can expect over the next few months, Cole said, “ Right now, I would say that we will finish the year following the plan we currently have in place.” He said they are looking ahead, though. “We are exploring some possibilities for the fourth quarter of the year, but we have not made any decisions as of yet. It is my belief that we will be able to bring all students back face to face in August and I do think that educators will be moved up in priority for vaccinations in order to make this happen, but that is just me looking at the trends and current politics and making a guess,” Cole said.
“I can promise the public that Clay County Schools wants our students back full time and we will bring them back as soon as we are able to do so. However, this is not something that is currently within local control.” Clay County Schools returned to in-person learning Feb. 8 after a temporary hiatus that started Jan. 26 because of several cases of COVID-19 among staff and students and large numbers in quarantine. The Feb. 8 school COVID report shows 14 students quarantined with no positives reported. Only one staff member tested positive and two more are in quarantine for possible exposure.