Wake County Schools board chair anticipating governor's next step for schools

Keith Sutton, chairman of the Wake County Public Schools Board, said he wasn't surprised by Gov. Roy Cooper's announcement on Thursday that he will share his latest plan for North Carolina's schools in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Posted 11:10 p.m. Apr 23, 2020 — Updated 11:10 p.m. Apr 23, 2020

Kirsten Gutiérrez

, WRAL reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — Keith Sutton, chairman of the Wake County Public Schools board, said he wasn’t surprised by Gov. Roy Cooper's announcement on Thursday that he will share his latest plan for North Carolina's schools on Friday in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sutton said he's expecting a big decision from the governor on education. Cooper said during his briefing he will have education leaders discuss plans on how the state expects to move forward.

Currently, schools across the state are closed to students and staff until at least May 15. Sutton says he’s anticipating the governor will delay reopening schools or cancel schools for the remainder of the calendar year.

Either way, Sutton said his school system is prepared, and the safety of those they serve comes first.

“We want to make sure that we’re keep our employees, students and families safe," Sutton said. "So that’s the number one goal and priority.

“We’ll be prepared to continue learning, to continue moving along as a district, making sure that students are being educated.”

Just last week, Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said that certain criteria needed to happen before opening school doors.

The Wake County Public School System is hosting its weekly update Friday at 10 a.m. They are expected to discuss possible end-of-year plans and have an update on what they’re doing to get food, technology and materials needed to students across the county.

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