On Thursday Governor Cooper announced schools have the option to choose Plan A for Pre-K through 5th grade effective October 5. Safety protocols, such as daily temperature screenings, social distancing in hallways and common areas, the wearing of masks, and frequent washing of hands/use of hand sanitizer will be required.

“We are able to open this option because most North Carolinians have doubled down on our safety and prevention measures and stabilized our numbers,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “North Carolinians are doing the hard work to improve our numbers and trends. Many people are wearing masks, keeping social distance and being careful to protect others as well as themselves. We have shown that listening to the science works. And I’m proud of our resolve.”

Greene County Public Schools released a statement that says, “The administration and staff of Greene County Schools will work with the Board of Education and the Greene County Department of Public Health over the next few weeks to determine if/when the transition to Plan A can be safely made for students in Pre-K through 5th grade.  We will keep you informed as we work toward a decision.”

Currently, Greene County students can take advantage of the Greene County Virtual academy which is Pre-K through Early College as a completely virtual option. The other option is a hybrid Track 1 and Track 2 with students in the classroom. At the middle school students are divided into small cohorts, with about 150-200 students each week with about 50% of the overall population virtually. They also recently added a Virtual Learning day for all students twice a month.  

Patrick Holmes, Lenoir County Public Schools Public Information Officer said, “I am sure the governor's decision will be factored into discussions as LCPS finalizes plans to transition out of remote-learning mode for that segment of students who want to return to the classroom.”

LCPS just amended its nine-week virtual decision to start offering in-person learning for all students Pre-K -12 the option for in-person learning two days a week with Cohort A going Monday and Tuesday and Cohort B going Thursday and Friday which is set to start September 28.

For Jones County Public Schools, David Moody, Asst. Superintendent said, “We are currently in Plan B and at this time we are still gathering information to determine if Plan A is a viable option for our district.”

Jones County Board of Education unanimously approved ‘Plan B’ for reopening schools on August 17th. Jones County students were assigned Group A or Group B. On Monday and Tuesdays, Group A students attend face-to-face instruction on campus while Group B learns remotely. On Wednesdays, all buildings will be cleaned and sanitized while the teachers use the time for planning and tutoring. Thursday and Friday has Group A learning remotely and Group B with face-to-face instructions.