Here are the NC school districts opening with online classes only due to COVID-19
Updated July 24
More than half of North Carolina public school students will open the new school year learning from home because officials say it’s not safe yet to reopen for face-to-face classes.
At least 46 school districts and 31 charter schools have decided to use remote instruction when classes resume for most students on Aug. 17 until the rate of growth in COVID-19 cases slows down in North Carolina. The number of districts sticking with online courses has continued to rise as teachers and some parents argue that in-person classes are still unsafe to hold.
On Thursday, Alamance-Burlington, Bladen, Cabarrus and Edgecombe counties and Asheville City Schools and Edenton-Chowan Schools announced reopening plans using virtual learning.
“We can always fix the academics of the kids,” Cumberland County school board member Joseph Sorce said before Tuesday’s vote approving an online-only start. “But we can’t fix somebody that passes away from this terrible disease.”
The school districts and charter schools that are relying on remote instruction represent 788,491 of North Carolina’s 1.5 million K-12 public school students, or 51.7% of enrollment.
The list of districts going remote-only include Chatham County, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham and Orange County.
Leaders in those districts say they’ll revisit the decision depending on the state’s coronavirus trends.
Big districts opt against in-person classes
All five of North Carolina’s largest school districts — Wake County, CMS, Guilford County, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and Cumberland County — either plan to open with online classes or are considering that option.
All of the state’s public schools have been closed for in-person instruction since mid-March to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced last week he’s reopening K-12 public schools in August under a “moderate social distancing” plan that limits how many students can be in schools and on buses. This Plan B also mandates daily temperature checks and health screenings, increased school cleanings and face coverings be worn by all students and school employees.
Plan B requires schools to limit capacity in schools so that they can maintain 6 feet of social distancing between people in classrooms. It also requires schools to limit buses to one child per seat unless they’re family members.
But Cooper also gave school districts the option to use Plan C, which only has remote instruction. He’s not permitting schools to reopen for full-time, in-person instruction, which is Plan A.
Some school district say they’re using variations of Plan B even though only a small number of their students will use in-person classes. In those districts it’s typically special-education students with the most severe learning disabilities and/or Pre-K students.
In other cases, some districts are holding orientation periods where small groups of students will come into school for a day or two before beginning full remote learning.
School reopening has taken on partisan overtones with Cooper being defended by fellow Democrats in how he handled the decision. Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is running against Cooper, have criticized the decision not to reopen schools under Plan A.
School officials say the online instruction this fall will be better than what it was in the spring now that they’ve had more time to plan how it will be offered.
List of NC schools opening remotely
Here are the districts and charter schools as of July 24 that have announced that they’ll open with remote instruction, which will begin Aug. 17 for most students. Click on the names and links to learn more about how long each district plans to be out.
Click here for a more recently updated list.
▪ Alamance-Burlington: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote instruction.
▪ Asheville City Schools: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ Beaufort County: Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ Bertie County: Students will use remote instruction for the first nine weeks.
▪ Bladen County: Students will use remote learning to Sept. 11.
▪ Brunswick County: Students will start with remote learning for 4.5 weeks.
▪ Cabarrus County: Students will open Aug. 17 with remote instruction. The district will do a semi-monthly review to determine when to begin in-person instruction.
▪ Camden County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote instruction, but goal is to transition Grandy Primary School to Plan B on Sept. 8.
▪ Cardinal Charter Academy: Students will use remote instruction for first quarter.
▪ Casa Esperanza (charter school): Students will use remote instruction through Aug. 28.
▪ Caswell County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ Chapel Hill-Carrboro: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote instruction.
▪ Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Students will report in during a two-week in-person orientation period before going fully online in what it’s called “Plan B+ Remote Option.”
▪ Chatham County: Students will begin with four weeks of remote instruction.
▪ Community School of Davidson (charter school): Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 7.
▪ Cumberland County: Students will use remote learning for the first six weeks.
▪ Dare County: Students will begin with remote learning for the first quarter.
▪ Davidson County: Students will come in during a one-week orientation period before using remote learning until Sept. 14.
▪ Durham County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ East Wake Academy (charter school): Students will use remote instruction for first quarter.
▪ Edenton-Chowan Schools: Students will use remote learning to Aug. 31.
▪ Edgecombe County: All students will be invited for in-person orientation during first week with most using remote learning for at least next five weeks Some students who receive specialized services may get in-person instruction sooner.
▪ Envision Science Academy (charter school): No end date set for remote instruction announced
▪ Exploris School (charter school): Students will use remote instruction for first trimester.
▪ Falls Lake Academy (charter school): Students will use remote learning for the first nine weeks.
▪ Fernleaf Community Charter School: Students will use remote learning for the first four weeks.
▪ Gates County: Students will use remote instruction for the first nine weeks.
▪ Global Scholars Academy (charter school): Students started school year 100% virtual.
▪ Granville County: Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ Haywood County: Most students will begin with remote instruction with goal to get them back for in-person classes starting Sept. 21. A small group, such as elementary students who were struggling academically before COVID-19 and students with specialized learning plans, will have in-person learning earlier.
▪ Healthy Start Academy (charter school): Students will use remote learning in first quarter.
▪ Henderson County: Students will use remote learning for first six weeks.
▪ Hertford County: Students will use remote instruction for first nine weeks.
▪ Hickory Public Schools: Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ Johnston County: All students will start with remote instruction. But beginning Sept. 8, elementary school students will return for two days a week of in-person classes and K-12 special-education students in self-contained classrooms will get daily face-to-face instruction.
▪ Kestrel Heights School (charter school): Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ KIPP Charlotte (charter school): Students will begin with six weeks of remote learning.
▪ KIPP Durham College Preparatory (charter school): Students will begin with six weeks of remote learning.
▪ KIPP Gaston College Preparatory (charter school): Students will begin with six weeks of remote learning.
▪ KIPP Halifax College Preparatory (charter school): Students will begin with six weeks of remote learning.
▪ Lake Norman Charter School: Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ Lexington City Schools: Students will use remote learning through Sept. 18.
▪ Longleaf School of the Arts (charter school): Uncertain when remote instruction will end.
▪ Martin County: Students will start with nine weeks of remote instruction.
▪ Maureen Joy Charter School: Students will use remote instruction in the first quarter.
▪ MINA Charter School: Students will use remote learning through Sept. 5.
▪ Mooresville Graded School District: Students will use remote learning for the first quarter.
▪ Mountain Community School (charter school): Students will use remote learning for the first quarter.
▪ Northampton County: Students will use remote learning for the first quarter.
▪ Orange County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote instruction.
▪ PAVE SE Raleigh Charter: Students will begin with four weeks of remote learning.
▪ Pine Lake Preparatory (charter school): Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 11.
▪ Raleigh Charter High School: Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 7.
▪ Research Triangle High School (charter school): Students will use online instruction indefinitely
▪ Public Schools of Robeson County: Students will begin with remote learning for nine weeks..
▪ Rockingham County: Students will use remote learning through Sept. 18.
▪ Rocky Mount Prep (charter school): Students will use remote instruction for first quarter.
▪ Rutherford County: Students will start school year with remote instruction with hopes of having students begin some in-person classes on Sept. 8.
▪ Sampson County: Remote instruction will be used through Sept. 14 for K-8 students and Oct. 14 for high school students.
▪ Scotland County: Students will begin with nine week of remote instruction.
▪ Sterling Montessori Academy (charter school): No end date for remote instruction announced.
▪ Stokes County: Students will begin with two weeks of remote learning.
▪ Surry County: Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 20.
▪ Thomasville City Schools: Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 7.
▪ Triad Math And Science Academy (charter school): Students will use remote learning for first quarter.
▪ Triangle Math And Science Academy (charter school): Students will use remote instruction for first quarter.
▪ Tyrrell County: Students will use remote learning for first quarter.
▪ Vance County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ Voyager Academy: Students will begin school year with remote learning.
▪ Wake County: Students will start school year with remote instruction. No end date set yet under “Plan B Transition.” Pre-K students and some special-education students may get in-person classes after Labor Day.
▪ Warren County: Students will use remote instruction for first quarter.
▪ Washington County: Students will begin with remote learning with decision being revisited daily.
▪ Weldon City Schools: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ Willow Oak Montessori (charter school): Students will use remote instruction through Sept. 24.
▪ Wilson County: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote instruction.
▪ Winston Salem/Forsyth: Students will begin with nine weeks of remote learning.
▪ Woods Charter School: Students will begin with seven weeks of remote learning.
This story was originally published July 18, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Here are the NC school districts opening with online classes only due to COVID-19."
