Brunswick County Schools heading back to the classroom next week

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — On Tuesday, Brunswick County elementary schools will return under Plan A, meaning it’s either all virtual or all in-person. There’s no hybrid option for the county’s littlest learners.

Middle and high schoolers are returning under the AA/BB hybrid model, or parents could have opted for fully virtual.

Some parents have wondered why Plan A is not an option for middle and high schoolers. In order for that age group to return under Plan A, Governor Cooper would have to allow it. Under his current orders, only elementary schools in the North Carolina Public School System can operate under Plan A.

With covid cases at an all-time high since the pandemic began, some parents expressed concern for the kids heading back.

BCS Spokesman Daniel Seamans says it is possible to return safely.

“The protocols work is what I’m saying,” Seamans said. “We just have to get in that mindset that it’s all of us who have got to bring it every day and pay attention every day so that we don’t have a situation like Town Creek.”

With about 30 percent of BCS fully virtual, Seamans admits social distancing is the biggest challenge, particularly at the elementary schools who will be in school five days per week.

Also noting that the same issues were faced last semester during the same learning plans, but reassuring that distancing is taking place when possible and other safety measures are in place.

“The schools are the cleanest they’ve ever been and it is because of all the extra measures that are in place so those extra measures help keep the impact to a minimum,” Seamans said.

Relying on the community to take precautions as well, Seamans emphasized that they can control what happens in the schools, but they can’t control what happens in the community. So, the school community must be committed to the precautions as well, in order to keep everyone safe and kids in school.

Stephanie Wrench, mom of a first-grader, says she is happy to take precautions if it means having her son in school.

“I am worried about covid, but we take every precaution we can. Masks, washing hands, hand sanitizer, staying away from people,” Wrench said. “But I still feel like my child needs to go to campus to do his schooling because he does learn better there.”

Emphasizing the importance for parents to be able to choose to keep their children home or send them to school, Wrench explains virtual learning is very difficult for her family. Her son can find it difficult to focus if another child is not muted on Zoom when they should be and where they live they do not have access to wifi.

Through the difficulties that have been presented this school year, Wrench praises her son’s teacher for always making it work and making sure her son is exactly where he needs to be.

“As a parent, I’m not a school teacher so I don’t know what my child needs and what he does not need and a teacher can give him way more than I ever could give him.”

For the latest updates on covid in Brunswick County Schools, click here to find their dashboard that is updated every 24 hours.