Buncombe high schoolers to continue remote learning through December

Announcement from Buncombe County Schools:

Tonight, the Board of Education held a Special Called meeting to reconsider Return to Learn plans for this semester. After some discussion, regarding students in grades 9-12 and Buncombe Co. Early College, the board voted that these students will remain remote through December.

More scheduling details will follow soon.

Please note that students in grades K-8 will remain on the following schedule, as voted upon at last Thursday’s (9/10/20) Regular Board Meeting.

K-8 students in Group A will attend class on Monday and Tuesday. They will have remote learning days on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

K-8 students in Group B will attend class on Thursday and Friday. They will have remote learning days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

In closing, Board Chair Ann Franklin shared this important message to board members and our school community this evening:

We would like to begin this meeting by acknowledging how difficult the last few weeks have been for our staff and families. I want to thank everyone for being here tonight.  

I want to speak a little about why we are meeting tonight and how we move forward. 

Ms. Cindy McMahon asked to meet with me on Monday and she inquired about holding another meeting to reconsider the reentry plan for our high school students. Under Board policy, four members of the board may call for a special called meeting. There were four members who wanted to come back together to reconsider the plan, including myself. We should note that it is not a regular occurrence for this Board to call a meeting to reconsider an item of business, but these are not regular times. 

I know we spent a lot of time the other night discussing this topic, but I also know there was some confusion with the procedural issues. I want to make sure everyone has had their say and is comfortable with the outcome of their vote.

There are a lot of competing interests here to consider: 

• the safety of our students; 

• the academic, social, and emotional well-being of our students; 

• the safety of our staff and their families; 

• and the stress that this has placed on many of the families of our students. 

There is no right answer and there may not even be a best answer. 

Some of you may be upset about having another meeting, but I ask that all of us consider these competing interests and we do so from a mindset about what is the most positive outcome for all of those we serve. I ask that we debate this in a thoughtful way. This board has worked well together, and while there is nothing wrong with disagreement, I don’t want this to divide us personally. Regardless of your opinion on this subject, I do not doubt anyone’s motives. I know each of you wants what is best for our students, their families, and our staff and their families. 

As we continue to make decisions about this delicate process of educating our students in the midst of a global pandemic, we have received countless phone calls and emails from parents, staff, and members of the community. We heard public comments at the last two regular board meetings. I want to assure the community that we are listening to you.

As is our consistent practice, an agenda for this evening as well as all past agendas are posted on BuncombeSchools.org under the “Board of Education” link at the bottom of the page.

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*Tonight’s meeting was streamed live to the BCS YouTube Channel.