At Tuesday evening’s Board of Education meeting, members voted to begin the second nine-week period with Plan B. As WHQR reports, this means students will rotate in three groups, with one week in-school instruction followed by two weeks online.
Board member Bill Rivenbark says he’s been hearing from a lot of parents about the importance of reopening schools:
“I had one lady that said, I’m just going to go ahead and tell you, I can’t take it anymore. I want to leave my kids at the house and go on a vacation. These people are going crazy; they want to get their kids back to school as soon as possible.”
But as school administrators presented their recommendation to move to Plan B, Board member Judy Justice was concerned that no representative from Public Health was present:
“We need the Health Department here, so we can ask them questions so the community can hear their answers, and without that, I do not feel very comfortable at all about having our kids back in the schools.”
Prior to the vote on Plan B, David Wortman brought a motion to reopen the schools on an A/B plan, one where two groups of students alternate in-person instruction during the week. The motion failed, with Wortman the only one in favor.
The motion to move to Plan B ultimately passed 6-1 with Justice the lone dissenting vote.
Board member Nelson Beaulieu expressed concern about the toll the plan will take on teachers.
“They are going to be doing things they’ve never done before, not just in terms of instruction, but logistically. I just worry we are pushing them to a breaking point.”
Here is a 25-page guide that directs NHCS how to handle suspected, presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19.