By Cara Beth Lewis
Bladen Online received a message from a reader, asking us to share a parent-made petition for Bladen County Schools to offer remote learning for students, due to parent and guardian concerns regarding COVID-19. Before sharing the petition, we wanted to find out if it is even an option for Bladen County, considering rules at the state level.
Bladen Online contacted Valerie Newton, Bladen County Schools Public Relations and Information Officer, asking if remote learning is an option at this time for the state of North Carolina.
We received this response from Miss Newton:
“The Governor, along with NCDHHS, have provided guidance that public schools operate with all students back in the classroom for in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year. Public schools are required to follow the guidance provided in the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit. The Toolkit is aligned with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance, which urges that everything possible be done to keep students in schools and emphasizes continued masking. The Toolkit also updates additional measures for schools related to quarantining after COVID exposure, physical distancing, testing, transportation, cleaning and other considerations.
A public school district shall have the authority to make day-to-day decisions for the 2021-22 school year concerning whether shifting individual schools or individual classrooms that are providing in-person instruction to temporary remote instruction is necessary due to COVID-19 exposures that result in insufficient school personnel or required student quarantines.
Current legislation contains a provision of remote instruction for students with disabilities in a manner consistent with each student’s individualized education program (IEP), as defined in G.S. 115C-106.3, or section 504 (29 U.S.C. § 794) plan, including homebound students. Remote instruction support shall be considered and included, as appropriate for the student, when an IEP or 504 plan is initially developed or at any subsequent review or revision of an IEP or 504 plan.”
Sandy M. Smith made a petition on Change.org titled, Virtual Options for Bladen County School Students. Smith stated in her opening on the petition page, “With COVID-19 numbers increasing, we should not mandate students to return to school for in class instruction with out offering online options. We must continue to keep our kids safe with more than a mask.”
Currently, the petition has 35 signatures.
The BladenOnline team hopes this answers questions and concerns parents may have.
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