Hurricane Isaias accomplished what even Covid-19 couldn’t do: delayed the start of the new academic year for students at year-round schools in New Hanover County. Traditional schools are still slated to begin August 17th.
It was just last month that North Carolina officials granted authority to individual school districts to determine their own education plans for the new academic year based on the breadth of coronavirus cases in a given region and the individual needs of each district. New Hanover County schools has opted for Plan C – 100% remote learning for the first grading period.
Brunswick County Schools also adopted Plan C for the first four-and-a-half weeks of the year. Pender County Schools plans to start with a mix of remote and in-person learning.
New Hanover County Schools also has a brand new Superintendent coming from Kansas City Public Schools. But Dr. Charles Foust doesn’t actually step into the lead role until September 1st.
As school administrators and teachers grapple with inventing a new educational paradigm, they are sharing best practices, learning from each other, and worrying more about at-risk kids.
What are the ways educators will bridge equity gaps already exacerbated by the pandemic? And what will school look like when kids eventually do return? Will there be temperature checks at the door? How many kids will be permitted in a class?
We explore these questions on this edition of CoastLine.
Guests:
Elizabeth Felts, English Teacher & Service Learning Teacher, New Hanover High School; New Hanover County Schools Teacher of the Year
Jean Hall, Assistant Principal, The International School at Gregory
For questions about New Hanover County Public Schools, visit: https://www.nhcs.net/
Brunswick County Public Schools: https://www.bcswan.net/
Pender County Public Schools: https://sites.google.com/pender.k12.nc.us/pcs/home