Letter to the Editor: Ask Lenoir County Public Schools board members for an in-person education option
by Jonathan Britt
Grifton, NC
To the Parents and Teachers of Lenoir County Public Schools Students:
On July 27, the Lenoir County Board of Education voted 4-3 to reopen school on Aug. 17 with remote learning for all students for the first nine weeks of the school year. For the second nine weeks, only students in grades pre-k through 2nd and designated cohorts of EC students will potentially return to school for in-person instruction provided certain public health metrics are met in Lenoir County -- a two-week decline in COVID-19 cases and a positive testing rate of 5 percent or less for 14 days prior to the first day of in-person instruction.
In other words, the Board has voted to keep students in grades 3-12 out of the classroom until January, at minimum. Education involves more than merely the transfer of curriculum to students. The social interactions and processes involved in navigating each day and semester are equally important, and teachers are critical in managing those activities. There are also the environment/facilities conducive to learning that should be provided for it all to take place and that many children may not have outside of school.
Parents are scrambling to find other options for kids to be in front of teachers and with other students, not dismissing COVID-19 risks, but acknowledging the comprehensive needs of students. Our neighboring Pitt County experienced a 60/40% in-person to remote learning sign-up, which organically provides additional space for meeting social distancing requirements.
The same result would likely occur in Lenoir County, if given the option. The risk of getting COVID-19 at school can obviously be avoided by not allowing people in school but does not guarantee kids will remain COVID-19-free. However, keeping schools closed does guarantee deficiency in effectively administered education.
If you recognize the significant need for children to have the option of returning to the classroom this school year, you are in agreement with many other parents, caretakers, teachers, pediatricians, nurses, and so on.
The Board does have an opportunity to correct course by a majority calling for a special meeting for the sole purpose of having a vote on modifying the school reopen plan to include an in-person education option for all students at the start of the school year. I believe 3 would already support this action, so a 4th vote in-favor is still needed. Please call and/or email Board members to express your support for these actions:
Keith King, Chair keithking@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.566.5655
Bruce Hill, Vice Chair bhill@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.522.5917
Merwyn Smith msmith@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.582.3163
Billy Davis bdavis@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.523.2168
W.D. Anderson andersonwda@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.527.0020
Elijah Woods ewoods@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.527.1067
Richard Bogan rbogan@lenoir.k12.nc.us 252.686.6161
