CARY, N.C. -- Catherine Truitt, a former classroom teacher and the Republican nominee for N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction, outlined her approach to re-opening North Carolina’s schools on Tuesday. Truitt currently serves as Chancellor of non-profit Western Governors University North Carolina (WGU NC) and has three children in Wake County Public Schools.
“Tomorrow, Governor Roy Cooper and state officials will likely roll out a ‘one-size-fits-all’ plan from Raleigh that will tell all 115 of North Carolina’s public school systems and hundreds of public charter schools how they can re-open this Fall,” said Truitt. “Unfortunately, it will turn out to be a ‘one-size-fits-none’ dictate that just won’t work for our schools and our students. There is a better way.”
“I’ve heard it said that ‘if you’ve been to one county, you’ve been to one county,’” Truitt continued. “North Carolina is a large, diverse state, and one size simply does not fit all. Local school board members and superintendents know the needs and challenges facing their communities far better than someone sitting inside the Raleigh beltway. It is imperative that we allow local leaders to make local decisions, that parents be engaged in the process, and that our re-opening plan give students the hope they need to succeed. Then the State should respect whatever decision each school system makes and provide the support and guidance the system needs.”
A June 8 release from the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services stated that "NC DHHS, in consultation with the State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction, will announce by July 1 which of the three plans should be implemented for schools to most safely reopen." However, after Truitt released her plan on Tuesday, a release from the Governor's office said that the scheduled July 1 press conference "will not include an announcement on how statewide K-12 public schools will open this coming school year."
Truitt’s approach to re-opening North Carolina’s schools this Fall includes three major pillars:
- Give Local Leaders Control
- Give Parents A Voice
- Give Students Hope
Truitt’s approach echoes guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics which states that “Policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 must be balanced with the known harms to children, teenagers, families and the community by keeping children at home” and their recommendation that “no child or adolescent should be excluded from school unless there is a local public mandate or unique medical need.”
“More than anything our children deserve hope,” Truitt concluded, “Hope that they will receive a quality education, hope that they will have an equal opportunity for success, and hope that they will be treated fairly regardless of their socioeconomic status, race or gender. Sadly, the closing of schools due to COVID-19 has widened the gap between the have and the have-nots.”
For more details on Truitt’s approach to re-opening schools, please visit https://catherinetruitt.com/reopeningschools.