RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina elected leaders finalized a directive on Thursday that will put more K-12 students in classrooms five days a week by telling all districts to offer in-person instruction no later than early April.
The order was contained in legislation that Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law hours after the House approved the bill unanimously. The Senate gave it a similar vote on Wednesday. The Democratic governor and Republican legislators negotiated the compromise legislation, which resolved issues that prompted Cooper to veto a previous school-reopening measure nearly two weeks ago.
Nearly all of the state’s 115 local districts already have some in-person instruction. But GOP lawmakers were unhappy with the pace at which schools were bringing the state’s nearly 1.5 million students back to class as the COVID-19 pandemic eased and data showed low transmission among young people.
They said students who first began learning online in March 2020 were suffering academically and needed to return to class. Parents and local school leaders have lobbied lawmakers to bring back children.
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