Dare County students will return to the classroom March 1 as teachers get vaccines

NAGS HEAD, N.C. — The Dare County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to start in-person learning again, three months after going all-virtual.

Before the vote, superintendent John Farrelly laid out his reasons for returning to the classroom.

More than 80 percent of the Dare County school staff has been vaccinated. A local survey showed that about two-thirds of the school system’s parents want their children back in school. New virus cases in Dare County for the first week of February fell to 93, the least since late November.

Plus, there is pressure from the state.

Gov. Roy Cooper called last week for schools to go to in-person learning, citing a stabilization of COVID-19 cases and the need for personal interaction among students.

A bill in the North Carolina General Assembly would force schools to reopen for those who want in-person learning. It passed the Senate Tuesday and was in the House of Representatives Wednesday.

The Dare County board voted for the return plan recommended by Farrelly.

Classroom instruction will begin March 1, with pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students attending Monday through Thursday. Grades 6 through 12 will have staggered schedules, with half going Mondays and Tuesdays and half on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Parents can also choose to keep their children exclusively in virtual classes.

Dare County Schools began the year in all virtual classes before trying in-person instruction beginning Oct. 26. But in the first three weeks six schools reported 17 positive cases, forcing nearly 400 students and 70 teachers to quarantine. The board returned to all virtual classes on Nov. 16.

Jeff Hampton, 757-446-2090, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com