Charlotte-Mecklenburg students will learn remotely in 2020-2021 school year

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board voted unanimously on starting the school year remotely during an emergency meeting on Thursday.

CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston recommended that the school board start the year online.

“We are prepared, however there are just some things out of our control new information regarding staff and challenges," Winston said.

School board members agreed a staffing shortage made it impossible to open schools safely for the first two weeks of classes.

As of July 14, more than 1,300 staff members requested work arrangements instead of returning to schools for in-person learning.

Winston was concerned about a lack of nurses, bus drivers, custodians and teacher aides in the district.

A third of the district's students were signed up for the all-remote learning option, which is more than 52,000 students.

The board is moving forward with a plan that has students in three groups. Students will report to school for in-person "onboarding" then after week three, all classes will be remote.