GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Gaston County students in kindergarten through 5th grade will switch to in-person learning four days a week starting Monday. The Gaston County Board of Education voted on the matter on Feb. 8.
Gaston County Schools previously had K-5 students in classrooms two days out of the week, with online learning the other three days.
Under the new approach, students learning in-person will use Wednesday as a remote learning day. On Wednesdays, facilities will receive deep cleans.
Tim Leach said the new schedule will be a challenge for kindergartners, including his son.
"He's never known anything, but two days a week," Leach said. "So it's going to be a shock to his system, for sure."
As part of the transition to Plan A, the state no longer requires elementary schools to maintain social distancing in classrooms.
The desks in many schools will be closer together, in some schools as close as two feet.
"wow, I didn't know that," Trish Creary said. "That's really scary because a lot of us who are older can still get sick."
Governor Cooper and other state leaders have argued schools will still be safe, while many child education experts said elementary school students need to be back in classrooms.
North Belmont Elementary School principal Justin Beam said many of their policies will remain, including masks at all times, social distancing in hallways and lunch at students' desks.
"To have them here four days a week where they can kind of get their hands on them and really work on those standards and goals, Beam said. "To advance them and get them ready for the next grade level."
Gaston County's middle and high school students remain under the same hybrid learning schedule.
A week before the shift for Gaston County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools brought middle and high school students back to the classrooms for a hybrid learning model.
Last Wednesday, 240,000 more North Carolinians became eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The state officially moved into Group 3 of vaccine prioritizations, starting with childcare workers and school staff in a pre-k to 12 setting.
Anyone who works in a face-to-face setting with students in a public, private, or charter school is eligible. That includes cafeteria workers, bus drivers and principals.