Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.

School responses in North Carolina to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Scroll here for more articles
Documenting America's Path.png
Current coverage
Active COVID-19 emergency orders • Changes to emergency power laws • Federal government responses • Mask requirements • School policies in the 2021-2022 academic year • State vaccine requirement (vaccine passport) policies • State employee vaccine requirements • State plans to end federal unemployment • State unemployment filings • Travel restrictions • Vaccine distribution plans
Vaccines
School policies
Mask requirements
Federal pandemic responses
Travel restrictions
Elections
Economy and society
State policies
Debate about government responses
Click here to see our complete coronavirus coverage
Responses by state

As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in North Carolina schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:


Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in North Carolina during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Feb. 24, 2022: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed a bill that would have banned school mask requirements.[3]
  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported sixteen in-person schooling disruptions in North Carolina.[4][5]
  • Aug. 30, 2021: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed an education bill related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, Senate Bill 654 allowed school districts to revert to remote learning in response to rising COVID-19 infections. The new law said districts must notify the Department of Public Instruction within 72 hours and return to in-person instruction following a quarantine period.[6]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in North Carolina.[7][8]
  • March 1, 2021: The North Carolina State Senate failed to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of SB 37, a bill that would have required schools to provide daily in-person instruction. The final vote was 29-20, one vote short of the three-fifths majority necessary to override a gubernatorial veto. One Democrat joined with Republicans in voting to override the veto. The Senate passed the bill 31-16 on Feb. 16. Cooper vetoed it on Feb. 26.[9]
  • February 26, 2021: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed a bill that would have required schools to provide daily in-person instruction. The state House of Representatives passed the bill 77-42 on Feb. 22, while the state Senate passed the bill 31-16 on Feb. 16. To override Cooper’s veto, the bill would need the support of three-fifths of the members in both chambers of the legislature.[9]
  • February 11, 2021:[10]
    • The North Carolina House of Representatives voted 77-44 on Feb. 11 to advance a bill requiring school districts to provide the option of in-person instruction for all students. Families would be able to choose remote instruction. All Republicans and five Democrats in the chamber supported the bill.
    • The state Senate passed a similar bill 29-15 on Feb. 9, but the chamber refrained from holding a final vote on the state House’s version of the bill. The state House bill contained modifications distinguishing it from the state Senate bill, including a provision allowing special accommodations for educators who had conditions that increased their risk of severe illness from COVID-19. No Republicans opposed the state Senate bill, and two Democrats voted in favor of it.
  • February 2, 2021: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced new school guidance and encouraged public K-12 schools to reopen for full-time in-person instruction. The guidance instructed elementary schools to reopen under Plan A, which did not require social distancing. Middle and high schools were slated to reopen under Plan B, which did require social distancing. Cooper said he wanted to leave the final reopening decisions to school districts. The state still required districts to provide a remote learning option for families that chose to opt in.[11]
  • September 17, 2020: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced that elementary school and charter school students could return to classrooms at full capacity beginning Oct. 5. Students, teachers, and staff were required to wear face coverings, and schools needed to enforce social distancing and screen for symptoms.[12]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were using virtual or hybrid learning in North Carolina .[13][14]
  • August 17, 2020: Schools in North Carolina were allowed to reopen. Based on state guidelines, most K-12 districts would begin the year with at least some online learning.[15]
  • July 14, 2020: Cooper released the state’s school reopening plan, which emphasized a combination of in-person instruction and distance learning.[16]
  • June 8, 2020: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released guidance for reopening schools to in-person instruction. The guidance included more frequent cleanings, a temperature check for all individuals entering buildings or buses, and physical distancing guidelines.[17]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 24, 2020: Cooper announced that schools would not reopen for in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through May 15.[18]
  • March 23, 2020: Cooper announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 30, was extended to May 15.[19]
  • March 14, 2020: Cooper announced the closure of all public schools in the state for at least two weeks.[20]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[21]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[22]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[23]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[24]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[25]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[26]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[27]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: August 12, 2020

North Carolina released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on June 11, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on August 12. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

On June 11, 2020, the State Board of Education approved the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s, plan for school re-opening, Lighting Our Way Forward.

On July 14, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced that schools must operate under either a hybrid or fully-online plan. Districts are required to offer online-only instruction for students who are at high risk or who choose not to return to in-person instruction. In his announcement, Cooper said, “There are no decisions more important than the ones about our children and our schools. This announcement today is the result of careful, collaborative, and painstaking work. There is much risk in not going back to in-person school. We know that schools provide so much more than just academic lessons.”

Public schools operating on a traditional schedule will begin instruction on August 17. According to EdWeek, public schools in North Carolina traditionally start the year in late August.

Cooper closed public schools in the state for two weeks on March 14. On March 23, he extended the closure through May 15. On April 24, he announced that public schools were closed for the remainder of the school year.

Context

North Carolina has a divided government. The governor is a Democrat, and Republicans have majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state has had a divided government since 2017.

The following tables show public education statistics in North Carolina, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

North Carolina school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $9,928 45
Number of students (18-19) 1,552,497 9
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 100,220 10
Number of public schools (18-19) 2,684 9
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 15.5 20
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 57.4% 14


North Carolina school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $13,681,971,000 14
Federal revenue percent 12.2% 6
State revenue percent 62.4% 8
Local revenue percent 25.4% 45

Details

District reopening plans
School districts are required to develop their own reopening plans that comply with the requirements outlined in the state’s guidance document. Those plans are:

  • Plan A: Minimal Social Distancing
    • Least restrictive plan with social distancing required only where individuals may congregate, such as hallways, reception areas, cafeteria, restrooms, and locker rooms
    • School facilities are open; all students may be in school at the same time
    • Traditional instruction with preparation for Blended Learning
  • Plan B: Moderate Social Distancing
    • School facilities are open with additional requirements for social distancing and minimizing exposure and transportation.
    • Limit density of people in school facilities to adhere to health and safety requirements. (Note: 50% population density was deleted as of 7/14.20).
    • Enhanced health protocols
    • Blended Learning for all
  • Place C: Remote Learning Only
    • School facilities are closed. Students are not permitted in facilities. Employees may or may not be permitted in school buildings based on Executive Order or other state requirements. (Updated 7/10.20)
    • Remote learning for all students, based on Remote Instruction Plans (SPLN-006) submitted on July 20, 2020, to NCDPI as a framework for quality remote learning

Individual districts may choose to open under Plan B, which has some in-person instruction, or Plan C, which is entirely virtual. All districts are required to offer a fully virtual option. Schools may choose between Plan B or Plan C at any time.

In-person, hybrid, and online learning
Districts that choose a hybrid model are required to limit capacity to a level that will allow students and staff to adhere to a six-foot social distance. The state’s reopening guidelines suggest that scheduling for hybrid learning should be determined by individual school districts. The guidelines offer suggestions for alternating days, alternating weeks, or blending which grade levels would attend in person and which would attend virtually.

Mask requirements
All students, teachers, and staff are required to wear masks or face coverings.

In-person health recommendations and requirements
On June 8, 2020, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, a series of guidelines for in-person public education. When learning is done in-person, the following precautions are required, according to EducationNC:

  • Limit the total number of students, staff, and visitors within a school building to the extent necessary to ensure 6 feet distance can be maintained when students/staff will be stationary
  • Conduct symptom screening, including temperature checks
  • Establish a process and dedicated space for people who are ill to isolate and have transportation plans for ill students
  • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in the school and transportation vehicles regularly
  • Require frequent hand washing throughout the school day and provide hand sanitizer at entrances and in every classroom
  • Discontinue activities that bring together large groups
  • Limit nonessential visitors and activities involving external groups
  • Discontinue use of self-service food or beverage distribution

Schools must conduct regular screenings for COVID-19 symptoms and isolate individuals who show symptoms. Staff and students must stay home if they test positive for COVID-19, show symptoms, or have come in close contact with a person who has COVID-19. The guidelines provide criteria to return for three scenarios:

  • People diagnosed with COVID-19 but without symptoms must stay home for 10 days after the diagnosis, assuming no symptoms arise.
  • People diagnosed based on symptoms are not required to show a negative test to return to school. A person can return to school if they receive confirmation of an alternative diagnosis from a health care provider that would explain the COVID-19-like symptom(s), or once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.
  • People who have been in close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 must remain out of school for 14 days, even if they do not test positive for the virus.

Schools are required to ensure that six feet of distance is possible and marked out for students and staff during times where students and staff are more likely to come in contact, such as at lunch or during recess. Capacity for common areas is limited to the number that would allow for six-foot social distancing.

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions
The state’s face mask requirement for students and staff also applies to transportation. Buses are limited to one student per seat. Screening for symptoms, including temperature checks, may be conducted prior to boarding transportation.

Responses

After Cooper announced that districts would have the option for reopening under Plan B or Plan C, North Carolina Association of Educators President Tamika Walker Kelly said, said:

“ Educators want to be back in school buildings. We miss and value the relationships we have with students and their families. The careful approach Governor Cooper has taken in all of his re-opening decisions has been deeply appreciated, and while we understand that this was a difficult choice, we must make the safety of our educators and students the first priority.[28] ”

North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger (R) criticized Cooper’s decision to limit district choices to Plans B and C. In a statement, Berger said:

“ The Governor’s plan makes worse the very inequities a public school system is supposed to resolve. Students whose parents do not have the time or resources to supplement ‘virtual’ schooling will fall even further behind simply because of the condition of their birth. That’s an unspeakable travesty. And parents who do not have the privilege of working from home can’t take off every other day from work. What are they supposed to do? The Governor permits parents to choose full remote learning — he must also permit parents to choose full in-person learning as well.[28] ”

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in others states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 173," accessed February 28, 2022
  4. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  5. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  6. ↑ WBTV, "Gov. Cooper signs bill allowing N.C. schools to shift to remote learning if necessary due to a COVID-19 emergency," August 30, 2021
  7. ↑ Burbio rated North Carolina's in-person index at 98.3. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NC31
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NC211
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NC22
  12. ↑ Governor of North Carolina, "Public Schools Now Able to Implement Plan A for Elementary Schools," September 17, 2020
  13. ↑ Burbio rated North Carolina's in-person index between 0-20. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  14. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  15. ↑ The Charlotte Observer, "Portal access troubles mark 1st day of N.C. public schools," August 17, 2020
  16. ↑ The News & Observer, "NC governor extends Phase Two of reopening plan amid ‘troubling’ coronavirus trends," July 14, 2020
  17. ↑ The News & Observer, "Gov. Cooper issues health guidelines for NC schools, says it won’t be a ‘reckless decision,’" June 8, 2020
  18. ↑ The News & Observer, "Gov. Cooper expected to extend NC school closures. How to watch his press conference," April 24, 2020
  19. ↑ The News & Observer, " All NC public school buildings will be closed until May 15 because of coronavirus," March 23, 2020
  20. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "North Carolina Governor Orders Schools Closed for 2 Weeks," March 14, 2020
  21. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  22. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  23. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  24. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  25. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  26. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  27. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=School_responses_in_North_Carolina_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic&oldid=8577024"