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Update: Press from Bladen County Schools

Posted on 02/09/2021-At their February 8 meeting, the Bladen County Board of Education approved a recommendation by Dr. Jason Atkinson, Interim Superintendent, to return students to face-to-face learning beginning February 15. Parents of any student PreK through 12 will have the option for full remote learning for their child.

In essence, the operating plan that was in place prior to the Christmas holiday break will re-start on February 15. You may also recall, that on September 17, Governor Roy Cooper announced that elementary schools across the state could shift to face-to-face learning under Plan A (minimal social distancing) after October 5. On October 1, the BCS Board of Education approved a recommendation made by then-Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor that beginning on October 19 elementary schools would reopen under Plan A (minimal social distancing) and middle and high schools would reopen under Plan B ( moderate social distancing).

On February 2, Governor Cooper, joined by NCSBE Chairman Eric Davis, NCDPI Superintendent Catherine Truitt, and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen called on schools across the state to reopen to in-person instruction to all students.

The recommendation made by Dr. Atkinson, and approved by the BCS Board on February 8 has two parts. Elementary school students will return on February 15 in Plan A (minimal social distancing), which is four days a week of instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays with Wednesdays being a remote-only learning and deep cleaning day in the schools. Middle and high school students will also return on February 15 but in Plan B (moderate social distancing), which is two days a week of instruction on an AA/BB schedule; AA days are Mondays and Tuesdays and BB days are Thursdays and Fridays.

Middle and high school students assigned to an AA/BB schedule prior to Christmas break will keep their same schedule beginning February 15; AA students will attend school on Mondays and Tuesdays, and BB students will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays. If you are unsure of your child’s schedule, please contact the school.

Should parents choose full remote learning, all instructional protocols will remain in place meaning students will be required to attend classes each day, complete classwork and homework assignments, and have a daily check-in with their teacher. Teachers will monitor daily attendance and assign grades; no differently than if students were in school each day in person.

Due to numerous changes due to COVID-19 in bus routes, stops, riders, and times throughout the school year, please allow for flexibility during the first week back in school. Bus routes established prior to Christmas break will follow as closely as possible the same designated pick-up/drop-off locations and times beginning February 15.

The BCS meal delivery by bus program will continue to operate for students that are in full remote learning. Meal delivery routes established prior to Christmas break will follow as closely as possible the same designated delivery locations and times beginning February 15.

Whether in Plan A or Plan B, all BCS schools will continue to follow all public health protocols in the NC DHHS Strong Schools Public Health Toolkit. The complete toolkit can be found here.

Key highlights of BCS’s protocols are listed below.

ON THE BUS

Face coverings mandatory on the bus.
Social distancing to the extent resources will allow.
Elementary school passengers will have combined seating per bus bench seat.
No more than one middle or high school passenger may be seated per school bus bench seat, with the exception that members of the same household may share a seat.
Strict use of seating charts to assist with potential contact tracing.
Continued regular cleaning of buses.

AROUND THE BUILDING

Social distancing will be practiced when moving throughout the building.
Social distancing floor markings and other reminders will remain in place.
Lunch will be served in the cafeteria, however, self-service food and beverages will be discontinued; meals will be individually packaged.
Assemblies, field trips, and mass gatherings will be discontinued.

IN THE CLASSROOM

Elementary students do not need to adhere to social distancing in the classroom; middle and high school students will adhere to the six feet social distancing requirements at all times.
Teachers are allowed to provide students opportunities for brief face-covering breaks.
Teachers will incorporate frequent handwashing and sanitation breaks into classroom activity and throughout the school day.

ENHANCEMENT CLASSES

P.E. activities will limit the use of shared equipment; playground equipment is required to be routinely cleaned and disinfected.
Masks must be worn at all times, indoors and outdoors, when participating in music; percussion and string instruments are recommended to be used rather than wind instruments; limit choir singing, even when wearing masks.
Schools are required to limit the use of shared equipment, such as writing utensils, paint brushes, construction tools, and headphones; any shared objects must be cleaned and disinfected between use.

SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Face coverings are required for all students, staff, and visitors
Daily cleaning and disinfection will be performed throughout the school.
Non-essential campus visitors will be limited.
Schools will provide frequent reminders for students, teachers, staff, and visitors to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another when in group settings or moving about the campus.

ARRIVING AT SCHOOL

Temperature checks and health screenings will continue to be performed upon arrival.
Staff members will continue to monitor students when they come to campus and make sure they are not congregating in groups.

February 8, 2021- The Bladen County Board of Education met on Monday, February 8, 2021, and voted six to three (6 to 3) to offer in-person learning to Bladen County students. Dr. Jason Atkinson, Interim Superintendent, recommended that the students in Kindergarten through the fourth-grade return to school four days a week and middle and high school students return to school on the A-B system schedule.

Dr. Atkinson suggested that the students return to the same schedule provided by Bladen County Schools in December 2020. Elementary school students would have the option to attend school in-person on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the students will participate in virtual learning for school cleaning purposes. Middle and high school students will be offered to attend in-person learning on the A-A B-B schedule.

Board members Chris Clark, Dennis Edwards, Alan West, Tim Benton, Vinston Rozier, and Chairperson Roger Carroll voted in favor of the in-person learning motion.

Board members Gary Rhoda, Cory Singletary, and Glenn McKoy voted Nay to the motion.

The in-person schedules will begin on February 15, 2021. All students will have the option to continue with virtual learning without in-person instruction if their guardian chooses virtual learning instead of in-person teaching.

Listen to the board’s discussion on the matters of in-person learning and spring sports on our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa2csTP2aBoqH1rI5ynshNw

The board also approved middle school spring sports in a seven to two split vote. The sports to be offered by Bladen County middle schools will be baseball, softball, and soccer.

Board members Chris Clark, Dennis Edwards, Alan West, Tim Benton, Vinston Rozier, Glenn McKoy, and Chairperson Roger Carroll voted in favor of allowing middle school spring sports.

Board members Gary Rhoda and Cory Singletary voted against the motion to allow spring middle school sports.

https://bladencounty.org/bladen-county-schools-offers-sexual-risk-avoidance-education-program/