North Carolina schools could start year with remote learning under new bill

Lawmakers want a remote learning option for North Carolina school districts at the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Under current law, remote learning wouldn’t be allowed until Aug. 24. But school districts are required to start classes by Aug. 17.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education wrote a letter to lawmakers Monday questioning the language in two separate bills passed during the short session that seemingly contradicted when remote learning could actually begin.

By Tuesday lawmakers wrote a bill that, if it passes, gives local school districts permission to start the school year off using remote learning responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That bill passed the House on Tuesday afternoon and is headed to the Senate for approval.

Rep. John Fraley, a Mooresville Republican, introduced the bill in a committee meeting.

“We’re now here where school is going to start in a very short period of time,” Fraley said, “and we need to have in legislation the flexibility for a school system, if it is impacting the health and safety of students, with the approval of the state board of education, to be able to do remote learning in those first five days, if it is approved.”

Current law allows remote learning days to be scheduled as teacher work days or for lessons planned in advance.

Under current law, all public schools are required to provide five academic days of remote learning to students and are allowed to schedule even more remote learning days if needed.

Gov. Roy Cooper was expected to announce last week plans for the upcoming school year but said he wasn’t ready.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise throughout the state.

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 5:54 PM with the headline "North Carolina schools could start year with remote learning under new bill."