Thousands of ENC Students head back to school in-person

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Students across the East are heading back to North Carolina classrooms for the first time since March.

Onslow County is one of nine districts in Eastern North Carolina holding some form of in-person learning. But Onslow County parent Kinshasha Adamson is hesitant.

“Just really concerned for how the high schoolers are going to transition from one period to the next period,” said Adamson. “I have not gotten an answer on how that looks.”

The district is returning to in-person classes using Plan B – with half of the student population returning Monday and the other half returning on Thursday. School officials say the buildings will be cleaned by custodians and teachers on Wednesday.

“I’m just praying that there’s a plan in place and everybody is going to remain safe,” said Adamson. “But, the responsibility of me as a parent is just to reiterate: Whatever happens you maintain six feet, you wear your mask.”

The first day of school comes less than a month after a photo of a crowded Georgia high school hallway went viral online. Since then, several students and teachers have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Onslow County School spokesperson Brent Anderson, the plans for North Carolina schools put them in a different position than schools in Georgia.

Onslow County Schools will be using a “staggered system” of dismissing students, according to Anderson, who added that the school system is still trying to work out how that looks.

“They’re going to have their own plan of what that’s going to look like,” said Anderson. “Looking at how we can make that process and procedure as smooth as possible to get the kids changing and staggering.”

The school lunch program offered to students who qualify for free and reduced meals that were established when schools went online in March will be extended to the end of August, according to Anderson.

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