Plan A will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Middle and high schools will remain in Plan B, as the governor has not allowed those students to return to in-person class full-time.
The board originally voted late last Tuesday to move to Plan A on Jan. 11. Although the board would have the authority to revert the action, it still included a clause in the motion stating the decision was pending an update from Superintendent Charles Foust. Board member Stephanie Kraybill suggested this “pause clause” would “sit better” with families who thought NHCS was rushing into Plan A.
Board of Education Chair Stefanie Adams speaks at a press conference Wednesday next to Superintendent Charles Foust. (Port City Daily photo/Alexandria Sands)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY Late Tuesday night, just hours after four new members were sworn into the New Hanover County Board of Education, Superintendent Charles Foust recommended pre-K and elementary schools move to Plan A in the spring and, with the support of chairperson Stefanie Adams, urged approval of the transition by the end of the night.
After a lengthy debate over whether to postpone the decision, the majority of the board agreed to send preschoolers and K-5 students back to school in person five days a week, beginning Monday, Jan. 11.
The New Hanover County Board of Education approved a Plan A reopening for pre-K through 5 schools in the spring semester.
Under the plan, which goes into effect on Jan. 11, parents of those age groups must choose whether their children attend five-day, face-to-face instruction or learn remotely.
According to Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust, students may not be able to keep their teachers, whose assignments will be determined by each school s principal.
New Hanover County schools are currently operating on an AA/BB schedule, in which students in group A attend on Mondays and Tuesdays and group B on Thursdays and Fridays. All students learn remotely on Wednesdays.