N.C. private schools plan more aggressive reopenings
Granted more autonomy than public schools, many private schools are gearing up to welcome students and staff back into their buildings
By Brian Gordon
USA Today Network
This fall, Grace Christian Academy will look fairly normal. The Cleveland County private school will welcome full classes of students, pre-K through 12th grade, to inperson instruction. Neither teachers nor students will have to wear face coverings and no virtual academy will be offered. While public schools must practice 6-feet social distancing, limit class sizes, and require face coverings, hundreds of North Carolina private schools have the autonomy to decide how to resume lessons during the coronavirus. No single approach categorizes all private schools, but many — like Grace Christian — plan for more aggressive reopenings as school leaders say families and staff are ready to reenter classrooms.
There will be some new procedures at Grace Christian. Staff will take temperatures by the entrance. Lunch rotationswill lessen cafeteria congestion. And like many private schools, Grace Christian Academy will require parents sign waivers before sending their children to school during the COVID19 pandemic.
“There needs to be something in writing that says, ‘You chose not to wear the mask,’ ” said Stephanie Chambers, principal of Grace Christian, which teaches around 140 students in Kings Mountain, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.
“We are going to practice things that will help us as much as possible to prevent the spread, but I mean, it can still happen.”
’An extra precaution’
Last year, there were 750 private schools across North Carolina, serving 104,000 students. Around 70% were religiously affiliated. Tuition costs span from a few thousand dollars a year (less with vouchers or financial aid) to five-digit annual costs. Though not subjected to public school closure orders, private schools shut down last March in accordance with Gov. Roy Cooper’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.
The N.C. Division of Non-Public Education oversees private schools. While the state’s guidance for reopening public schools stretched 141 pages, the Division of Non-Public Education’s website offered only one paragraph, which included the broad directive: “It is the discretion of each private school to decide how to proceed with instruction.”
Being apart from public schools gives private schools autonomy, but it also brings greater exposure to lawsuits.
“Public schools in North Carolina have more protection against liability,” said Jonathan Vogel, a Charlotte-based education attorney. “There’s a certain level of legal impunity that private schools don’t have.”
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Granted more autonomy than public schools, many private schools are gearing up to welcome students and staff back into their buildings
By Brian Gordon
USA Today Network
This fall, Grace Christian Academy will look fairly normal. The Cleveland County private school will welcome full classes of students, pre-K through 12th grade, to inperson instruction. Neither teachers nor students will have to wear face coverings and no virtual academy will be offered. While public schools must practice 6-feet social distancing, limit class sizes, and require face coverings, hundreds of North Carolina private schools have the autonomy to decide how to resume lessons during the coronavirus. No single approach categorizes all private schools, but many — like Grace Christian — plan for more aggressive reopenings as school leaders say families and staff are ready to reenter classrooms.
There will be some new procedures at Grace Christian. Staff will take temperatures by the entrance. Lunch rotationswill lessen cafeteria congestion. And like many private schools, Grace Christian Academy will require parents sign waivers before sending their children to school during the COVID19 pandemic.
“There needs to be something in writing that says, ‘You chose not to wear the mask,’ ” said Stephanie Chambers, principal of Grace Christian, which teaches around 140 students in Kings Mountain, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.
“We are going to practice things that will help us as much as possible to prevent the spread, but I mean, it can still happen.”
’An extra precaution’
Last year, there were 750 private schools across North Carolina, serving 104,000 students. Around 70% were religiously affiliated. Tuition costs span from a few thousand dollars a year (less with vouchers or financial aid) to five-digit annual costs. Though not subjected to public school closure orders, private schools shut down last March in accordance with Gov. Roy Cooper’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.
The N.C. Division of Non-Public Education oversees private schools. While the state’s guidance for reopening public schools stretched 141 pages, the Division of Non-Public Education’s website offered only one paragraph, which included the broad directive: “It is the discretion of each private school to decide how to proceed with instruction.”
Being apart from public schools gives private schools autonomy, but it also brings greater exposure to lawsuits.
“Public schools in North Carolina have more protection against liability,” said Jonathan Vogel, a Charlotte-based education attorney. “There’s a certain level of legal impunity that private schools don’t have.”
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