New Hanover County Schools to offer Plan A for all students next month

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Board of Education has voted to offer Plan A full-time in-person learning for middle and high schools beginning April 12.

In addition to Plan A, the district will continue to offer the AA/BB hybrid model, and fully remote learning.

The motion passed 5-2 at an interim meeting Tuesday, with board members Judy Justice and Stephanie Walker casting the dissenting votes.

This comes less than a week after Governor Roy Cooper signed the Reopen Our Schools Act of 2021 into law, allowing middle and high schools to fully reopen for the first time in a year.

“The legislation was a surprise to us,” said Board of Education Vice-chair Nelson Beaulieu. “We got it on Wednesday, and our staff put together a proposal that they thought was in the best interest of our students.”

The board’s decision to move forward with Plan A while still offering the other two options was based on feedback from a survey sent out to families over the weekend.

“We had about 60 percent of our families say that they wanted their kids to return full time, we had about 20 percent saying they wanted to remain in the AA/BB, and we had another 20 percent that said they wanted to remain remote,” Beaulieu said.

Even the New Hanover County Association of Educators (NHCAE), which has had concerns about Plan A, expressed interest in moving toward more in-person learning ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

“The positivity rate is good, it is hovering around five percent,” said NHCAE President Amanda White. “As long as we are keeping all safety procedures in place, that is the most ideal and we’ve known this from the beginning.”

However those educators did not anticipate losing their current remote workday on Wednesdays, which they say allows them to get caught up with all students both in-person and remote. The board voted to eliminate this workday.

“Our families, our students, they really need this,” Beaulieu said. “I believe that this is what’s in their best interest and as much as I love our staff, they just got to come first this time.”

All families will have a chance to choose what works for them before the new plan goes into effect April 12. Because those opting for Plan A will mean more students in the classroom each day, those who prefer the hybrid model may opt for a different option.

You can watch the entire board meeting here.