School Board reverses course, Plan A for K-5 off the table for now

The Wayne County Board of Education reversed course Wednesday during a special-called meeting, and will no longer bring K-5 students back to face-to-face instruction under Plan A after the holiday break.

The board voted 5-2 (Jennifer Strickland and Wade Leatham voted against the measure) to keep WCPS students under the state’s Plan B hybrid learning model, keeping the district in step with neighboring Johnston and nearby Wake counties.

“The metrics have changed dramatically since last week,” Board Chairman Chris West said, adding that Wake had voted to return to virtual instruction because of staffing issues.

The board will revisit the issue Jan. 25, after post-holiday COVID-19 data is available.

“That might tell us a lot about where we’re at,” West said. “That seems to me to be the wise thing to do. I think we need to consider our staff … as well as our students.”

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