Wake County policy panel advances technical policy edits, asks staff to develop remote-learning plan

The Wake County Board of Education Policy Committee voted to send a package of technical and minor policy revisions to the March 18 consent agenda and unanimously asked district staff to develop a detailed remote-learning plan that could be used in place of some makeup days.

The decisions came Feb. 1 during a Policy Committee meeting in which members debated whether to add cultural-competency training language to the board—s professional learning policy (Policy 1610-7800), discussed updates to staff-student relations language, and considered how the district might use up to five remote-instruction days (or 30 remote instructional hours) allowed by state law instead of scheduling Saturday makeups or taking away teacher workdays.

Board members spent the bulk of discussion on two issues. First, board member Stephanie Rice proposed adding explicit cultural-competency training to the professional-learning policy to help teachers better "engage with students" and "build trust," saying the training would align with the district—s "see me, know me, engage me, challenge me" framework. Rice said the suggested text would be placed in the paragraph listing required or recommended training topics and that staff could advise where it best fits.

Supporters, including board member Miss Mahaffey, said the change would help classroom management and teacher-student relationships. Several board members asked staff to pull that item from the consent package for fuller discussion and recommended staff work with academic leaders to draft specific policy language. Chair Haggerty and staff agreed to advance the purely technical statutory updates now while bringing Rice—s cultural-competency proposal back for a deeper policy discussion at a future meeting.

Second, the committee discussed remote instruction after repeated inclement-weather closures. District staff explained the current policy framework allows the superintendent to direct remote instruction during emergency situations for up to five remote instruction days or 30 remote instructional hours, and noted that, under current practice, the district typically must exhaust banked instructional days and teacher workdays before using remote days. Dr. Robinson (staff) said the committee—s question for staff was whether the board wanted more flexibility so the superintendent could use remote instruction earlier in the school year rather than only as a last resort.

Board members raised several operational concerns: equity of internet/device access for elementary students; whether remote days would be synchronous (live) or asynchronous (work posted in the district—s learning management system); expectations for teacher preparation and substitute coverage; accommodations and IEP/504 considerations for students with disabilities; attendance tracking and grading; and parent communications about expectations on remote days. Staff said the district already maintains a state-filed remote-instruction plan, typically uses asynchronous assignments posted in Canvas with paper options for families without internet, and that other districts have adjusted plans based on experience.

After discussion, the committee gave unanimous support (a thumbs-up check) for staff to develop a more detailed remote-learning plan and return with specifics before implementation. Chair Haggerty said any such plan would be presented to the full board and that the public would have an opportunity to review it before the district used remote instruction for the upcoming school year.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from Jan. 28 meeting — motion passed (voice vote; no roll-call recorded). - Move Policy 1610-7800 (Professional Learning) technical revision to consent, March 18 — motion passed (voice vote). The substantive proposal to add cultural-competency training was taken off consent for further discussion at a future meeting. - Move Policy 4040-7310 (Student-Staff Relations), Policy 4100 (Admissions to the Wake County Public School System), and Policy 4150 (School Assignment and Transfers) technical revisions to consent, March 18 — motion passed (voice vote); members asked staff to return with discussion items linked to 4040-7310. - Move Policy 3410 (Testing and Assessment) to consent, March 18 — motion passed (voice vote). - Adopt recommended change to tobacco/nicotine policy language (retain phrasing that captures vapor products without nicotine) and move to consent, March 18 — motion passed (voice vote); board asked staff to examine exceptions for FDA-approved smoking-cessation products and prescription therapies. - Move licensure policy technical revisions (including new mandatory reporting language for license-threatening misconduct) to consent, March 18 — motion passed (voice vote).

What—s next Staff will: (1) include the purely technical statutory updates in the March 18 consent agenda; (2) draft specific policy language and an implementation plan for Rice—s proposed cultural-competency addition and return for board discussion; (3) produce a detailed remote-learning implementation plan addressing equity, IEP/504 accommodations, attendance and grading expectations, synchronous vs. asynchronous models, device and paper-work alternatives, and parent communications; and (4) review the tobacco/nicotine policy language for narrowly proscribed exceptions for FDA-approved cessation products. The committee indicated an expectation that staff return in time for board deliberation before the next school year.