Cole del Charco

East Carolina University celebrated graduation online Friday morning. It's one of a number of modified college graduation ceremonies taking place in the state this weekend.

Updated modeling shows social distancing is working, and the spread of the coronavirus has slowed in North Carolina.

But that doesn't mean the state is in the clear.

In a briefing Monday afternoon, state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said North Carolina has much of the personal protective equipment needed for healthcare workers to conduct ongoing COVID-19 testing.

Governor Roy Cooper is responding to the new guidelines for reopening the country announced by President Trump. 

In a state briefing Friday afternoon, Cooper said he was glad to see that the president's criteria largely mirror what North Carolina is doing. And the governor said decisions about easing restrictions will depend on testing.

The state is considering how and when residents and businesses will be able to return to life as normal, even if normal will be forever changed. 

While officials in the Cooper administration point out the coronavirus will be a threat until there's a vaccine, they acknowledge current social distancing policies can't go on forever.

Amid a national shortage of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, UNC experts say health care systems may have to mitigate the problem by re-using PPE or producing supply from available materials.

Governor Roy Cooper addressed questions Monday afternoon about the timeline for loosening social distancing measures and getting North Carolina businesses up and running again. 

Cooper said his administration is considering how and when to ease up to boost the economy while still preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

With K-12 schools operating remotely because of COVID-19, the state has taken the extraordinary step of easing grading and testing requirements. Here’s what that means for public school students.

Advocacy groups that lobby for the well-being of young children have written a letter to Governor Roy Cooper and N.C. Health and Human Services Director Mandy Cohen urging them to close all child care facilities.

Leaders of N.C. Early Education Coalition, NC Child, and N.C. Association for the Education of Young Children say that forcing employees of day-care facilities to work puts the health of kids, their families, and the workers themselves at risk.

North Carolina public school buildings are now closed until at least May 15, but educators are still working to teach students remotely. 

Wake County Public Schools is one of a number of districts across the state providing a website with online resources to give parents and students some guidance on how to maintain learning during this unprecedented time away from the classroom. You can find the website here. 

The rate of crime in schools has gone down for the third year in a row. Education leaders on the State Board of Education discussed the findings in their monthly meeting in Raleigh on Thursday.

Both the number of reportable crimes and the rate of crime on school campuses decreased in the 2018-19 year. The rate of crime decreased nine percent between 2018 and 2019.

It’s also the first year no school in North Carolina used corporal punishment, after the final two districts using it banned the practice after the 2017-18 school year.

The State Board of Education has renewed the charter for Kestrel Heights Elementary and Middle School in Durham. The school had sought a 10-year renewal, just a few years after having to close its high school because it awarded diplomas to students who had not completed the required coursework. Forty percent of its graduates were awarded these diplomas over several years.

How teachers end up in the profession, and how they progress in their careers, was a main focus of the State Board of Education's February meeting.

The State Board of Education and State School Superintendent are clashing again over a contract for a K-3 reading diagnostic tool.

The University of  North Carolina Board of Governors voted today for Interim UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to step into the role permanently. 

The State Board of Education turned down a charter school application from a group that wants to serve indigenous students in Robeson County.

The difference between making and missing reporting deadlines for federal compliance can be slim. That’s why having personnel who do evaluations of exceptional children on staff is helpful. But many North Carolina districts can’t afford to.

Board of Education officials in Johnston County are struggling to fill an almost $9 million dollar budget shortfall.  The board will ask county commissioners for more money at the Dec. 2 meeting.

Harry Smith has announced he's resigning entirely from the UNC  System Board of Governors.

Smith stepped down as chairman in September but said at the time he planned to remain on the board.

On Monday, he said he's decided to relinquish his board seat completely in February to focus more on the private equity firm he started.