North Carolina’s largest school district to begin year with online learning

Online learing due to COVID-19 LAKEWOOD, COLORADO - MARCH 17: Maddie Vanderploeg, 11, a 5th-grade student in Jeffco Public Schools, works on her first day of online learning at her home on March 17, 2020 in Lakewood, Colorado. Jeffco Public Schools implemented a remote learning and work plan where teachers, students, and staff will educate and learn from home with online programs for an unknown period due to COVID-19. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images/Denver Post via Getty Images)

By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s largest public school district is sticking with only online student learning to start the academic year.

[ SPECIAL SECTION: Return to Learning ]

The Wake County school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to become yet another system not ready to return to classrooms next month due to COVID-19.

Board members had committed earlier to a rotating schedule for in-person instruction to begin the year, but district officials said things have changed since coronavirus hospitalizations and the percentage of positive cases have increased.

[ ALSO READ: CMS’ plan: 2 weeks of in-person classes before full remote instruction ]

Gov. Roy Cooper also last week gave school districts the option to conduct all instruction online.

Positive COVID-19 cases have now exceeded 100,000 in North Carolina.

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