More Guilford County Schools Students Set To Return Thursday

The Guilford County Board of Education is making revisions to its plan to bring students back for in-person learning.

Those in pre-K through second grade will head back to classrooms starting Thursday, November 12. But grades 3 -12 won't return until January. 

The board weighed metrics presented by the local health department. They say Guilford County is experiencing some of the highest COVID-19 hospitalization levels since the pandemic began and the positivity rate is slightly above seven percent.

And they also considered new student data. Superintendent Sharon Contreras says the failure rate in Guilford County Schools is up to 40 percent.

“It is one of the highest failure rates we've ever experienced. It's extraordinary. That and the achievement gap together, missing students that we haven't been able to engage should be deeply concerning.”

School Board member Khem Irby says it's complicated, but students need to get back into classrooms.

“The longer we wait the less practice and finding out what we need to do better, it won't happen until we get in there,” she says.  “It will be a weight lifted off of their backs, those families, and just for those kids to walk into that school that emotional change that's going to happen, that's worth it. That's what we need to measure right now. “

The plan calls for elementary students will attend in-person five days per week, while middle and high school students will attend in cohorts.

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