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WS/FC Schools Delays Return For Most High School Students

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Interim Superintendent Tricia McManus observes an elementary classroom after more students returned this month. She says district leaders will continue to monitor safety protocols and the needs in schools as reopening moves forward. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted on Thursday night to modify its re-entry plan for high school students.

All of these grades were scheduled to return next week. After a lot of debate, a compromise motion was approved, which changes the dates for when most students would return.

On Monday, January 25, Career Technical Education students (CET) will head back to classrooms.

Ninth graders will follow on the week of February 1.

Grades tenth, eleventh, and twelfth can re-enter for face-to face learning on the week of February 22.

Interim Superintendent Tricia McManus had recommended pausing a high school return for three more weeks based on consultation with a group of scientific experts in the ABC Science Collaborative. She said it would allow more time to analyze resources with the recent addition of more grades in a short period of time. Some district leaders also expressed concerns about the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the county.

Reynolds High school principal Dr. Leslie Alexander spoke to the board during Thursday's meeting. She says she worries about not having enough staff to cover classes during teacher absences.

"I want the school board and everyone to hear that high school principals want students back," she says. "I think we have to consider the resources that we have and are they in place for us to bring everyone back successfully. Today's substitute fill rate was 67 percent. That means there were 64 jobs that were not filled."

McManus says the district will continue to focus on hiring more substitute teachers. She says there has been some turnover on the contact tracing team and that's also a priority.

“They're completely ready in schools with hand washing, the social distancing, all of the things that they have prepared for as we've been out in schools we've seen it," she says. "But we have to do the contact tracing and case investigation with efficacy to ensure that our staff and students are safe.”

According to the district's survey data, 53% of high school students plan to return to the classroom for in-person instruction.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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