Durham Public Schools soon will return to in-person classes. Here’s how it will work.

Charlie Innis
·2 min read

Students at Durham Public Schools will begin to return to classrooms March 15 after nearly a year of remote learning.

The DPS Board of Education held an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the district’s response to Senate Bill 37, which passed the General Assembly this week. If Gov. Roy Cooper signs the bill, it would require North Carolina school districts to offer in-person instruction to all students.

Superintendent Pascal Mubenga presented a plan Thursday for bringing back students to comply with the bill and to prepare the district for reopening.

The board voted 5-2 to approve the plan.

SB 37 requires school systems to offer Plan A to special needs students and either Plan A or Plan B for all students. Gov. Roy Cooper said earlier Thursday the bill needs more work. He objects to the minimal social distancing in Plan A and said it must allow local leaders to respond to emergencies, The N&O reported.

The Durham plan calls for elementary school students to return March 15. Middle and high school students will start to return April 8. Special needs high school students will start to return March 18.

DPS will follow safety and health guidelines in the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit (K-12).

Board members voted Jan. 7 to remain in Plan C, with all remote classes, through the end of the school year. The district has had virtual instruction since the school year began.

Needing to prepare

Before the board voted Thursday, Mubenga told board members he was presenting the plan because the district may have just 15 days to safely open its schools if it becomes law. Cooper has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, and if he doesn’t act, the bill becomes law without his signature.

“If we’re not prepared, it’s going to be chaotic,” Mubenga said.

DPS Board Chair Bettina Umstead said she thinks the bill is “poor” because it doesn’t follow guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But because the bill had moved so quickly, the board was forced to act faster than planned.

“I think it is time for us to be making a decision today to get in front of the bill,” she said.

This story is developing and will be updated.