GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford County Schools is slowing down its students return to the classroom while announcing changes to its reentry plan.
Guilford County Schools’ Superintendent Sharon Contreras announced Tuesday that sixth graders will not return as originally planned.
GRADES PRE-K - 2
However, students in pre-k through second grade will return to schools on Oct. 20, for in-person learning five days a week.
Another change comes to families of students in grades K-2 who indicated they'd like to continue remote learning, except at schools where interest was not high enough to support the program, the district revealed.
The district also announced it will share new classroom teacher assignments for grades K-2 with parents/guardians prior to the Tuesday, Oct. 20 reentry date. The district had to make changes to teacher assignments and class rosters due to the addition of a remote learning option.
GRADES 3-5
Students in grades 3-5 will return on either Nov. 4 or 5, depending on another review of community health metrics.
Schools serving as polling sites will need additional time to deep clean on Nov. 4. Students attending those schools will have remote learning on Nov. 4. Elementary schools serving as polling sites will reopen for in-person instruction on Nov. 5. All other schools will reopen on Nov. 4.
Find out if your school is a polling site.
PUBLIC SEPARATE SCHOOLS
The district announced students at its four public separate schools will return on Nov. 4 for in-person learning five days a weeks. Those schools include the following:
- Gateway Education Center
- Herbin-Metz Education Center
- Christine Joyner Greene Education Center
- As a polling site, Haynes-Inman Education Center students will return on Nov. 5.
CERTIFIED NURSE ASSISTANT PROGRAM
High school seniors who must complete requirements for the Certified Nurse Assistant credential prior to graduation in the spring will return Nov. 4.
ANOTHER REENTRY ANNOUNCEMENT EXPECTED
The district said the decision about whether the second round of schools will reopen will be announced on Oct. 30.
“Given the current community health data, we’re taking a more measured approach to returning students to the classroom,” Contreras said.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
The district announced as part of the revised plan and pending reviews of community health data and trends, middle school students and certain vulnerable student populations in grades 9-12 may return on NOV. 12. These students were originally scheduled to return on Oct. 26.
Middle school students will return on a staggered, A/B schedule for two days of in-person learning and three days of remote learning.
VULNERABLE STUDENT POPULATIONS
Certain vulnerable student populations in grades 9-12 will also return to school for in-person learning. That includes students in grades 9-12 who are homeless, in foster care, in the first two years of English language acquisition or who have disabilities and are served in a self-contained classroom. These students will return for four days per week, with remote learning on Wednesdays.
The district regarding the return to in-person learning for this round of students will be announced on Nov. 5. If health metrics delay return, the students could return on Dec. 7 or Jan. 4 with announcements made on Nov. 30 and Dec. 29.
STUDENTS ENGAGE IN REMOTE LEARNING
In order to limit the spread of COVID-19 following the Thanksgiving holiday, all Guilford County Schools and offices will be closed from Nov. 25 – Dec. 4. Students will engage in remote learning Nov. 30 – Dec. 4.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
High school students will return as planned at 50% capacity on an A/B schedule on Jan. 20, pending a review of public health data and trends.
Find out more: Guilford County Schools