Wake Schools call special board meeting on Monday to discuss potential return to virtual learning

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake County Public School board has called for a special work session on Monday to consider a future of fully returning to remote-learning as COVID-19 numbers spike across the state.

Wake County School Board chairman Keith Sutton told ABC11 the meeting, scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m., has to do with the education system's ability to "adequately staff schools."

In the span of a week, the school system has reported 80 COVID-19 cases; 33 of those being students with another 47 being staff members.

The meeting takes into account Gov. Roy Cooper's newly modified executive order for the state of North Carolina.

Sutton says a vote could come as soon as Tuesday.

The Monday afternoon board agenda includes:

• New and/or additional information or Executive Orders from the Governor
• Collaboration with and learnings from state/local health officials and the ABC Science Collaborative
• Monitoring implementation of our district's current plan and programming

Many Wake County elementary and middle schools are operating on hybrid learning; with parents choosing whether their students should be in-person or remote.

Earlier this week, Johnston and Granville County public schools announced that they will return to remote learning. JCPS will return on Monday while GPS will return Wednesday.

The decisions come as 80 percent of North Carolina counties enter the red and orange zones.

As of Tuesday, Alamance, Edgecombe, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Robeson, Sampson, Vance, Warren and Wilson counties are all in the red.

Wake, Durham, Cumberland, Franklin, Granville, Nash, Wayne Chatham, Edgecombe, Lee, and Moore counties are orange.

• Yellow: Significant Community Spread
• Orange: Substantial Community Spread
• Red: Critical Community Spread