When to go virtual? Wake leaders define limits of remote learning

The Wake County Board of Education has now defined what constitutes an “emergency” for using remote learning instead of in-person learning.

The board approved a policy Tuesday to define when remote learning can be used, as state law limits schools to up to five days in the event of an emergency. Some board members had proposed defining an “emergency situation.”

In the past three years, the school system has pivoted to remote learning to reduce COVID-19 transmission, because of inclement weather and because of a gas shortage.

Public officials, educators, parents and students have largely said extended remote learning during the COVID-19 was inferior to in-person learning and a contributor to slowed academic progress during the earlier days of the pandemic.

State law, enacted after the widespread school closures ended in North Carolina, prohibits schools from using more than five remote learning days to meet the minimum required number of days of school or hours of instruction. Those restrictions took effect starting in the 2021-22 school year.

DPI analysis: All NC students have fallen behind academically during the pandemic

The report illustrates the challenges educators face in getting students back to grade level expectations, as schools also struggle to hire employees to help them do that.