Teachers 'overwhelmingly' uncomfortable with current Plan B approach, Wake NCAE president says
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Tuesday, Wake County Public School System board members will hold another special meeting to discuss how best to reopen schools for the 2020-2021 school year.
Chair Keith Sutton told ABC11 the board will be hearing staff recommendations during the meeting based on new data that was not readily available during their last meeting.
Sutton declined to say if he would vote for a "modified Plan B" reopening of schools or Plan C.
Do you have questions? Help us ask school leaders the questions that are on your mind
"I will make a vote based off the staff's recommendation," Sutton said.
The board's last meeting ran concurrently with a televised update from Gov. Roy Cooper in which he gave his recommendations to school districts on how to move forward.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools to begin with full-time remote learning option for upcoming school year
"It would have been nice to have the governor say we're going to go into Plan C and then the districts have to prove that they have the metrics to reduce it down to Plan B," said Wake NCAE president Kristin Beller.
Beller also said educators are "overwhelmingly" uncomfortable with starting the next school year with Wake County's current Plan B model -- largely in part due to a lack of funding for proper resources such as PPE items, handwashing stations, sanitizer, adequate ventilation within schools and renovations that need to be completed.
Beller said the board needs to consider how teachers will be affected as well.
"There's never going to be a good choice, but there is a right choice," Beller said. "And the choice that prioritizes staff and student safety, that's the right choice."
