NC high school switched to online classes because so many staff are under quarantine
Updated Aug. 25
A small western North Carolina school district that reopened for face-to-face classes has been hit with daily reports of new COVID-19 cases and been forced to switch a high school to online-only classes.
Macon County schools, about 300 miles west of Raleigh, is among a minority of North Carolina school districts that decided to open the school year on Aug. 17 with in-person classes instead of remote learning. The 4,440-student district has had students and/or employees at six of its 11 schools test positive for the novel coronavirus.
The most serious situation is at Franklin High School, where the district said Saturday that a number of administrators, support staff and teachers are under quarantine for 10 to 14 days as a result of a staff member testing positive.
“These staff members are essential to the safety of our students,” the district said in a Facebook post. “It is in the best interests of the students at Franklin High School that face-to-face instruction be suspended through September 11, 2020. At that time, conditions will be reevaluated.”
The school board voted at an emergency meeting Monday to switch three other schools to remote learning through Sept. 11.
Positive cases have also been found at five other Franklin County schools, including a student Sunday at East Franklin Elementary. The people who’ve tested positive are under quarantine and contact tracing is underway.
As a precaution, some people such as custodial staff and cafeteria workers who are exposed to people who tested positive, are also under quarantine.
Schools closing over new cases
Macon County isn’t alone. It’s among a number of schools around the nation that have reopened this month and closed, for at least a few days, after coronavirus cases were found, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Two staff members at Poplin Elementary School in Union County tested positive and may have exposed other employees, the Charlotte Observer reported. The school is switching to online learning to Sept. 7.
Union County, about 145 miles west of Raleigh, is the largest school district in North Carolina to reopen with face-to-face classes. More than 70% of the state’s K-12 public school students started the school year with online classes instead of in-person instruction.
Last weekend, some teachers marched outside the Union County superintendent’s house, protesting the reopening plans and citing safety concerns with returning to school buildings.
In Pender County, students and staff at several schools were advised Thursday to quarantine at home after participating in an off-campus athletic event where they may have been exposed to a contagious individual.
Pender County, about 100 miles south of Raleigh, already had to delay the start of in-person classes at Heide Traske High School to Aug. 28 “due to a lack of adequate staffing related to unfilled positions, previously requested leave and recent COVID-19 exposures.”
At the higher education level, East Carolina University announced Sunday it was switching to online classes due to multiple COVID-19 outbreaks. UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University made a similar switch.
Notifying families
State Department of Health and Human Services officials say rarely will one positive case lead to a closure of an entire school building, the News & Observer reported. But the decision will be made by school districts after consulting with local health officials.
The schools that reopened for in-person classes are following state-mandated social distancing requirements that limit how many students can be on a school bus and on campus. Students and staff must also pass daily temperature checks to be allowed on campus and wear face coverings at school.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Macon County school leaders explained to families what will happen if a student or employee is diagnosed with COVID-19. Anyone who has been in close contact with the sick person will be contacted.
“A close contact is defined as being within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes,” the district said. “If a person is identified as a close contact, they will be instructed to self-quarantine and contacted by contact tracers who will provide further guidance on quarantine and when/where to get tested.”
The school will notify all families and staff at a school if a cluster of five or more positive cases is found. But it won’t have identifying information about the case. Only people who were in close contact will get more information.
“Every response will be based on the unique circumstances of the occurrence of the virus,” the district said. “There is no single response to all cases that occur in school settings.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 3:00 PM with the headline "NC high school switched to online classes because so many staff are under quarantine."
