CMS parking lots and school playgrounds are closed
CMS parking lots are closed for vehicle parking and playgrounds and school properties are closed to all citizens, unless related to grab and go meal distribution or student instructional materials or devices. The mandatory order includes no pets allowed on school properties and playgrounds.
April 6, 2020 - Reminders
April 13-17 is spring break for CMS. Thursday, April 9 is a teacher workday and Friday, April 10 is a holiday. Our district will not be providing instructional materials during those days or spring break. The CMS grab and go meal sites will not be operational on April 10 (Good Friday) but will remain operational during spring break. We encourage all families to observe the stay at home order unless picking up grab and go meals or instructional materials.
CMS school playgrounds are closed
CMS playgrounds and school properties are closed to all citizens, unless related to grab and go meal distribution or student instructional materials or devices. The mandatory order includes no pets allowed on school properties and playgrounds.
March 25, 2020 - Information about school proms
Governor Roy Cooper's declaration regarding the expanded school closure through May 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has impacted a number of end of the school year activities. As a result, CMS has made a decision to cancel all school proms in 2020. There is no guarantee that the COVID-19 virus will have reached its peak and we cannot assure families that the health danger will be diminished by the time our proms were scheduled to take place. We will be working with families and vendors to determine refunds for fees paid for this event. While we realize this is not the news students wanted to hear, we thought it was important to make and share our decision in a timely manner.
March 24, 2020 - COVID-19 Update to Board of Education
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education received the following update March 24 on district initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please see the file for information on areas such as meal distribution, instructional plans and remote supplemental learning.
COVID-19 BOE 3.24.20.pdf
March 23, 2020 - Governor announces schools to remain closed for students through May 15
Gov. Roy Cooper announced March 23 that all public schools in North Carolina will remain closed for in-person instruction until May 15. The decision was made amid the rapidly evolving COVID-19 crisis.
"Remote learning has been designed so that CMS students can continue learning at home during this time," said Dr. Matt Hayes, deputy superintendent for academics (click here). Hayes is also encouraging parents to ensure contact information is updated with teachers and principals to enhance lesson continuity.
A lot has been accomplished in a short amount of time, but it became clear this would be a multi-month event. The focus remains on remote learning and meal preparation and distribution, and the Department of Public Instruction already has teams planning for schools and legislative requests that will be required as students remain out of school. DPI is working with the governor's team, State Board of Education and the General Assembly.
March 23, 2020 Supplemental learning resources available
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the routines of CMS students, families and staff. To help re-establish the routine of learning for students, schools have been given access to supplemental learning resources.
These resources are located on the CMS website (click here). There are numerous lessons and activities designed to help students remain engaged in learning. Please note that lessons found on the site will not be graded. The site is simply a place where students can find appropriate materials that will supplement their learning while they are out of school. Print copies of learning resources for students in grades K-3 also are available at CMS school sites where meals are provided daily.
In addition to information regarding learning content, the CMS website also has information regarding how to secure and operate student devices, how to obtain internet access and how to contact support, if needed. The district is working to provide consistent access to mobile devices and internet at home. If home internet access is not available, families should contact Spectrum Cable, which is offering 60 days of internet access for free. The number is 844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households. Schools will reach out to families with contact information should they need assistance with their devices.
The district thanks its families for doing everything possible to be safe and healthy, and for their continued support.
March 20, 2020 - News on behalf of the CMS Foundation
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, the John M. Belk Endowment, and the David Belk Cannon Foundation announced a $1M gift to the CMS Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. The gift will be used to purchase six thousand mobile hotspots with six months of prepaid internet services for students without access to home connectivity.
The David A. Tepper Charitable Foundation made a gift of $650,000. The John M. Belk Endowment contributed $250,000 and the David Belk Cannon Foundation contributed $100,000.
The CMS Foundation launched the COVID-19 Relief Fund on Monday to meet the critical needs of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ students and families while schools are closed due to the coronavirus. Ensuring students had internet connectivity to access online learning opportunities was identified as an immediate need. The CMS Foundation partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and local nonprofit Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D) to secure a deal for the mobile hotspots and prepaid service.
“Today’s gift is an inspiring example of what can happen when groups come together. We know that this gift and every single donation from our community will help us address critical needs in our school district at this unprecedented time,” said CMS Foundation Executive Director Sonja Gantt.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools serves more than 148,000 students and is the second largest school district in North Carolina. The district allowed students in fourth through twelfth grade to take home the laptops they use in school.
“We all understand that internet access is no longer a luxury. It is essential. This gift addresses an equity issue in our community, and I am truly grateful to these three organizations for leading the way in this time of crisis and helping us meet this need. Their generosity will have a meaningful impact on our students,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston.
Reporters may contact: Sonja Gantt | Executive Director, CMS Foundation
sgantt@cms-foundation.org | Desk: 980-343-0084 | Mobile: 704-280-9592
March 16, 2020 - CMS restores school calendar
In its second emergency meeting about COVID-19 (coronavirus) in four days, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted to restore the district school calendar to its original form and approved the superintendent's plan for distance learning for students, and remote and alternative work for employees.
On March 13, the Board voted in an emergency meeting to move spring break up into March from its scheduled time in April. The change was intended to allow the district to keep students safely out of school without sacrificing required instructional hours. However, on March 14, Gov. Roy Cooper announced all public schools statewide would be closed until March 30, making the change to the CMS calendar unnecessary.
"We are in a very fluid, very fast-moving health crisis," said Elyse Dashew, chairperson of the Board of Education. "We hope that returning to the original academic calendar will provide a sense of stability in these uncertain times. However, we must all be prepared for the real possibility that our lives will not be back to normal by April. It is possible that schools will be closed much longer than two weeks."
Dashew said the Board would continue to work closely with state and local officials in government, emergency management and healthcare to keep students and employees safe.
Governor Roy Cooper has ordered all K-12 schools to close for two weeks, effective Monday, March 16, 2020
As COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases increase across the state, Governor Roy Cooper has ordered all K-12 schools to close for two weeks, effective Monday, March 16, 2020.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will be closed for students for at least two weeks beginning Monday, March 16. This includes the CMS before- and after-school program. We will work to keep school buildings open on Monday. We will provide more information to staff as we receive more answers from the state.
Given the Governor’s decision, the CMS Board of Education plans to schedule a meeting to vote to return to the original school calendar.
The coronavirus crisis is an unprecedented community health concern. CMS executive leaders, in partnership with local and state officials, are developing plans to address these exceptional circumstances. These plans include feeding students and continuing learning using a virtual platform. We understand that families and staff will be affected by this decision and we appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work to navigate the closure of schools. In the coming days, parents will receive information about opportunities for students to continue learning. As decisions are made, information will be shared through our normal communication channels.
We will continue to provide updates to questions families and staff will likely have. Many responses will depend on decisions at the state level. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience. We will communicate more details as they become available.
March 13, 2020 - District update
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education announced in a special called emergency meeting school closures. The Board amended the 2019-2020 academic calendar to begin the school closure on Thursday, March 19.
"As we have been dealing with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic there have been some difficult decisions we needed to make," said Superintendent Earnest Winston. "Beginning, March 19 we will be closing school to students."
Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20, will become teacher workdays. The vote means spring break will be moved from April 13-17, the new spring break will be March 23-27.
These changes will allow time to prepare for virtual and other forms of instructional delivery should they become necessary.
The district will release further details as they become available.
March 12, 2020 - District update
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is taking several proactive steps as part of our ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. As a district, we are emphasizing keeping school environments clean, promoting social distancing and limiting students and staff exposure to individuals who may be affected.
Volunteers
- The district has notified school volunteers that all volunteer activities have been suspended.
Athletic Activities
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The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has suspended interscholastic athletics beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, through Monday, April 6, 2020. This weekend's Men's and Women's Basketball State Championships also have been postponed. We are following similar guidelines for middle school and K-8 athletics, which will be canceled indefinitely. This means that there will be no practices or games for middle and high school athletic teams.
- In addition, any school-based events happening before or after normal school hours are canceled, effective Saturday, March 14.
Competitions/School Performances
- All competitions and school-based performances are canceled, effective Saturday, March 14
School-based Activities
Community Events
Thank you for your patience during this rapidly changing environment. We will continue to monitor this situation and make decisions as they are needed, and we'll keep you informed. Please visit our CMS website and follow us on social media for additional updates. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe and healthy.
Resources:
Mecklenburg County Government
https://www.mecknc.gov/news/Pages/Update-on-Novel-Coronavirus.aspx
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/COVID19.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/steps-when-sick.html
The North Carolina Division of Public Health has established a call line at 1-866-462-3821 to address general questions about coronavirus from the public.