GREENSBORO, N.C. — This school year is going to be unlike any other especially for parents trying to help their young children navigate the pandemic. The traditional school calendar year starts across North Carolina on August 17, with many school districts opting for remote learning for at least the first nine weeks of school.
Some charter and private schools, some of whom have resumed, are doing a hybrid of both in-person and remote learning. Non-Traditional public schools resumed online classes on Monday, August 10.
Parents have expressed their concerns all summer long about the reopening of school. Those concerns have been heightened for Guilford County School parents over what several have described as last-minute direct communication or none at all.
Some parents said they have sought information about their child's school but aren't getting answers.
"I've sent emails, I've called, they say you're going to get information but I've got nothing, nothing ever comes," mom Mika Patridge said.
Patridge said trying to get her children set up and prepared for the upcoming school year has been frustrating.
"Three days before school is supposed to start and I still have actually no information on anything. I just don't feel like that is setting us up to succeed," Patridge said. Patridge who has a third-grader and an eleventh-grader said she decided recently to pull her kids out of GCS schools over what she considered poor planning.
She said she had to sign her children up a few days ago to attend school via the North Carolina Virtual Public School.
"I can't deal with the complexity of what's happening and the chaos," she said. Some parents though are having a better experience.
"As far as the elementary school, Gibsonville Elementary is concerned, it's definitely been on a scale of 1 to 10, a 10," mom of two, Tiffany Lattero said.
Although teachers only resumed work at school this past Wednesday, some families have heard from their children's teachers and principals earlier this month. School officials said some teachers volunteered their time to reach out to families and for personal development training before their official work resumption date.
"I have spoken directly with my daughter's teacher and she gave me an overview of what was going to happen and that was through her contacting me. I didn't even have to seek her out," Lattero said.
GCS officials said they have created a "Parents Need to Know" documents and that schools would still contact parents to set up a time for orientation. They are also offering face-to-face Canvas workshops for families. Live instruction will not take place until after labor day, according to school district officials.