GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County Schools provided new details in how the district will reopen classrooms in less than two weeks amid a pandemic.
During a Board of Education meeting Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Booker and administrators outlined plans for several education areas, including for children who have special needs.
Carrie Minnich, the executive director for the Department of Exceptional Children, said they'll be creating remote learning contingency plans for more than 4,700 children within the first few weeks of school.
She said they'll still provide physical, speech and occupational therapies in a variety of settings, including in classrooms, a centralized "hub" outside school, and, possibly in homes.
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"This will also allow us to maximize their time for core instruction, but make sure they're receiving the services they need to catch up and be successful on their learning goals," Minnich said.
Dot Guthrie, the lone board member who voted against a hybrid plan of students returning to school in-person, put forward a motion Wednesday for the district to revert to online learning only, but it failed after no other board members seconded it.
Outside school headquarters, three people briefly stood at the front entrance with signs demanding to start the year online.
"In my heart, I just don't think that schools should open," one woman, who declined to give her name, said. "I'm just afraid there's going to be a lot of people get sick."
Dr. Booker said 5,300 students applied to the virtual school, which would make it the 61st largest individual school in the state.