Alamance County school system working on new virtual learning plan for quarantined students

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ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Members of the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education discussed the district’s remote instruction plan Tuesday afternoon for students sent home due to COVID exposure.

Superintendent Dr. Bruce Benson explained there are some options for remote learning now, but the district could expand on the plan to have protocols in place for students testing positive for the virus and those in close contact.

As of Friday, the district reported 206 active student COVID cases and three school clusters.

“Not just observing what’s going on in the classroom, but we would look for our teachers to decide what would be the best way for them to interact with their in-person peers. Perhaps in small groups,” Dr. Benson said of the plan.

The proposal outlines protocols for individual and small group quarantines and provides guidelines in case a whole class or school has to learn from home.

“Synchronous instruction should occur via Zoom, so that’s that real-time instruction. I log in to a Zoom link. I meet with my teacher in a way that feels similar to sitting in a classroom,” a staff member explained to board members.

Teachers will offer daily office hours in case students need help or clarification on assignments.

Some board members raised concerns about the workload on teachers.

“I think this is putting something additional on them. We’re in a crisis. We’ve got a lot of kids, I don’t know how many, out,” said board member Patsy Simpson. “We’ve got to start utilizing the staff we have to provide direct instruction to these children.”

Others questioned consistency with different teachers handling remote learning differently.