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‘Excited, worried’: CMS parents wait in long lines to pick up supplies ahead of first day of school

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Parents with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district waited in long lines to pick up supplies Friday before the new school year begins Monday.

The back to school nerves are running rampant for students and parents and now that CMS students will remote learn entirely for the first semester, parents are feeling the pressure to make sure they have a grasp of the curriculum.

“I’m excited, and a little worried,” parent Dana Mungin said with a nervous laugh.

Channel 9 talked with parents picking up computers and other supplies at Matthews Elementary and Crestdale Middle School, both located in Matthews.

“You know, you have what you expect for your kid when they start school and it just looks totally different,” first grade parent Jessie Franzone said.

CMS offered online tutorials on its Facebook page to help parents navigate Canvas, the learning system CMS is using district wide.

“They’ve done the tutorials and they’re always offering help,” parent Sonya Siegel said.

[ SPECIAL SECTION: RETURN TO LEARNING ]

“It’s new for everybody. So, I think they’re doing the best they can,” parent Larry Baxter said.

But the nearly 800 comments on a recent post show not everyone feels the same way.

One parent wrote, “I haven’t received anything about my sons classes and we do not have internet access . I don’t know what to do.”

Another said “I find this remote learning may be the hardest kind of school for parents.”

And lastly – one parent explained “…most of us have heard very little to nothing from our schools regarding what expect on Monday.”

While the district responded to questions on the site, the aforementioned comments were left unanswered as of Friday morning.

“I don’t know how they’re going to get everybody on the same page at the same time,” kindergarten parent Sean Donnelly said.

Channel 9 took those concerns to CMS, and asked if the district hired additional IT staff to help parents.

In a written statement, a spokesperson said they’re not aware of needing additional employees and explained “teams can be deployed from other it areas to meet any unmet needs.”

Parents said they hoped to gain clarity from the pick-up.

‘We’re supposed to be picking up directions on how to use the systems and everything here today,’ said Donnelly.

“I mean it’s always a little different once you actually get into the process, but so far it’s been good. We’ll see,” said parent Marcus Little.

CMS said it’s working to bridge the gap for underserved students. The district is hoping parents reach out to their children’s teacher so they can coordinate to receive the equipment and technology they need for the new school year.