RALEIGH, North Carolina — North Carolina state senators have approved a bill that would require K-12 public schools to reopen with at least partial in-person instruction for the state’s 1.5 million pupils.

The bill passed 29-15 on Tuesday and moved to the House.

Gov. Roy Cooper opposes the measure. He favors local control for deciding on school reopening.

Supporters of the bill argue parents would still be allowed to have their child learn remotely and say schools would have a couple of weeks to ensure safety standards are implemented before reopening.

Teachers worry about the safety of reopening since North Carolina is not currently allowing school workers to get vaccinated. School staff are classified as “frontline essential workers” and will be next in line for the vaccine.

Here in Virginia, a group of Republican legislators is urging Gov. Ralph Northm to reopen the state amid COVID-19 restrictions.

In a letter to Northam, the GOP leaders urge him to ease lockdown regulations on businesses. The National Federation of Independent Businesses estimates that 25% of Virginia businesses have closed temporarily or permanently as a result of the pandemic.

The governor’s office said Northam will continue to base Virginia’s response on science and the guidance of public health experts, not on the advice of someone who called this a “phony pandemic.”