The chairwoman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board said she hopes this week to see more Black students choose a return to in-person learning for the remainder of the school year.
Families have until today (Thursday, April 1) under a new state-imposed deadline to choose between in-person learning and remote learning for their children. To this point, Black students disproportionately have opted for remote learning in comparison to white and Hispanic students.
“Ultimately, there are some students thriving in remote learning, but overall, in-person really is much, much better academically and socio-emotionally for most students,” CMS Chairwoman Elyse Dashew said.
In February, CMS released statistics showing that 41 percent, or 59,658 students, had chosen to be enrolled entirely online. Of that number, 45 percent were Black students. Yet, Black students are 38 percent of the total student population.
Asian students also leaned toward remote learning. Asian students were 11 percent of those studying remotely and 7 percent of the total student population.
Hispanic, and white students were more likely to choose in person-learning. Hispanic students were 25 percent of those studying remotely and 27 percent of the total student population. White students were 15 percent of those studying remotely and 26 percent of the total student population.
Adding to concerns is that Black students, as well as Hispanic students, have more often been chronically absent this school year. In all, 24.4 percent of Black students were chronically absent compared to 25.3 of Hispanic students, 6 percent of Asian students and 5 percent of white students, according to CMS.
“African American families are being hit harder by COVID because of their preexisting health challenges (and) because of the systemic racism in healthcare in America,” Dashew said.
They are more likely to live in multi-generational households with elderly family members who are more susceptible to COVID-19, she said. They also have more real-life experience with people who have caught it or have died of it, and that makes it a real concern for them, Dashew said.
CMS has taken several steps, Dashew said, to help students who are struggling with remote learning:
Students without internet access have been provided hotspots. Teams of social workers are checking in on students who are chronically absent. In some cases, teachers are calling the parents directly.
In a move that created some controversy schools are also trying to be more flexible with late assignments. If a student does not turn in an assignment, for example, it gets a grade of a 50 instead of zero. This led some to say that schools are being too easy on students, Dashew said.
“If a student is slipping you want them to have the ability to catch up,” Dashew said in defense of the policy.
Some students are working to try to help their families financially. Some are taking care of their siblings while the adults in their house are at work, Dashew said.
“For some of them, school becomes a lower priority when you are trying to survive.”
CMS parents were given another opportunity to opt-in for in-person learning after Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly pushed for more students to return to class full-time. Legislation passed by the General Assembly requires schools to offer Plan A to more students. That plan allows full-time return to school with minimal social distancing, along with safety precautions, including masks.
Queens University News Service
