from news online:

North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students will return to school in August, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday, but it will be in a world where many children only attend in-person classes every other day or every other week.

Cooper announced that K-12 public schools will reopen under a “moderate social distancing” plan that limits how many people can be on campus, forcing many students to get a mix of in-person and remote instruction. The reopening plan requires daily temperature and health screening checks and face coverings to be worn by all school employees and students, including elementary students.

Most students are scheduled to return to school on Aug. 17 — four months since Cooper ordered schools closed to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, the virus caused by the coronavirus. Students closed out last school year learning from home, which drew complaints from many families about the educational quality.

Cooper has said he would make his decision based on data and science. New statewide figures released Tuesday show new records set for COVID-19 hospitalizations and single-day death totals.