North Carolina Senate pushes final vote on school reopening bill to next week
(The Center Square) – The North Carolina Senate postponed a final vote on a bill that would fully reopen K-12 schools in North Carolina for in-person learning after intense debate Thursday.
Following about an hour-and-a-half of debate, Senate Bill 37 got its second nod from the full Senate in a 29-16 vote. Lawmakers disagreed over whether the bill did enough to “safely” reopen schools.
Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all K-12 schools to convert to remote learning in March, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After scientific data pointed to lower risks in younger children, Cooper called for full attendance in K-5 public and charter schools Oct. 5. Cooper said Tuesday that K-5 public schools should resume in-person learning without the 6-feet social distancing requirement, referred to as Plan A in the state’s guidance, and sixth- through 12th-graders should operate under Plan B – smaller classrooms with social distancing.
SB 37 would require all K-12 schools to resume in-person learning for students with special needs under Plan A. Under the bill, all other K-12 classrooms could operate under Plan A or Plan B based on the school districts’ discretion.
Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene, argued the proposal goes against public health guidance and research that shows transmission risks could be higher among children ages 12 to 17 years old.
“I’ve done more research on this, and I know there have been cases in particular of high school students,” Davis said.
Davis asked one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga, to consider the additional research in the bill. He introduced an amendment that would keep middle school and high school students under Plan B unless there is clearance from health officials to do otherwise.
Davis’ amendment failed. Three other amendments that would have modified Ballard’s plan were tabled.
Among the tabled amendments was a proposal from Sen. Wiley Nickel, D-Wake, that would require at least one school nurse at every local school and allocate an additional $102 million for the positions. Sen. Sarah Crawford, D-Franklin, also pushed for $177 million for more in-person instructors for students with special needs.
The House approved the final passage of Senate Bill 36 on Thursday. It sets aside $1.6 billion in federal COVID-19 aid for K-12 schools to reopen and cover other COVID-19-related costs.
“I do believe that the measures are in place for our school leaders to embrace children back into the classroom,” Ballard said. “This is possible. It may require a little different thinking, and may require some innovation.”
Parents still can select remote learning for their children under SB 37, which applies only to the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. School boards would have the ability to choose the best option for their schools and switch from in-person to remote learning based on COVID-19 rates as long as they give the North Carolina Department of Instruction a 72-hour warning.
If the bill becomes law, schools would have 15 days to follow the reopening plan.
At least 90 of the state’s 115 school districts are providing in-person instruction for some or all of their students, Cooper said.
SB 37 has been added to the Senate calendar for a final vote Tuesday. If the Senate approves it, the bill will be sent to the House for consideration and approval.
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