Franklin County School Board to hold virtual emergency meeting Thursday on reopening plans roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ROCKY MOUNT â âWe deserve a safe return,â chanted about a dozen Franklin County teachers and supporters as the Franklin County School Board gathered for an emergency meeting Monday evening.
The school system was set to bring back students for in-person classes four days a week starting Jan. 26. Desks in those classes will be spaced 3 feet apart as recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics, instead of 6 feet as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Responding to teachersâ concerns, the board modified that plan at Mondayâs meeting with a 6-2 vote. Four day a week instruction for grades K-7 will still begin Jan. 26.
Franklin County Schools to continue mix of virtual, in-person classes
Superintendent says the health and safety of teachers and students continues to be a priority
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – During an emergency meeting Monday night, the Franklin County School Board decided not to switch to full in-person learning for all students at the start of the second semester.
The district recently released plans to transition from its current hybrid learning model to all in-person learning starting Jan. 26. People in the community, especially teachers, raised concerns about the changes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Franklin County.
“We’re so far along and we’re so close to being on the other side of this thing, it just does not make good common sense to throw the doors open and bring all of our children back at this point,” said Shannon Brooks, a teacher at Eagle Tech at Franklin County High School.
ROCKY MOUNT â Cole Hanson was a high-achieving student before the COVID-19 pandemic led to shutdowns of Franklin County school buildings.
When he could go to school in person, he had a team of teachers who helped him excel despite a combination of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and executive function challenges. Heâs failing now because heâs been unable to adjust to virtual learning, the 15-year-old Franklin County High School sophomore said.
The small protest he and his mother held at Mondayâs meeting of the Franklin County School Board illustrated how tensions persist over how far schools should reopen, even as the district stuck by a plan to have in-person instruction happening four days a week by Jan. 26 for households that prefer that option.
On the Record: Government meetings for the week of Dec 14, 2020 roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.