Masks will stick around in schools, at least for another month, the BOE said.
COVID cases in Mitchell County schools spiked recently but dropped when schools were closed during Winter Storm Izzy, Superintendent Chad Calhoun told the Board of Education during its regular meeting on Thursday, Jan. 27.
Calhoun said that as of the meeting, 86 students and five faculty and staff members were quarantined. Of those, 17 students and four faculty and staff members were positive.
Just before Winter Storm Izzy hit the area this past month, there were roughly 300 quarantines among students and staff.
“Those numbers have dropped rapidly compared to what they were before the snow,” Calhoun said. “I think the snow was kind of a blessing in getting our numbers down.”
The board approved the addition of COVID testing kits to area schools. The Bakersville Community Medical Clinic provided the school system with 3,000 free kits.
Kits are now available in schools upon request for staff, parents or students over 18. Calhoun said having the kits on hand is vital if parents struggle to find test sites.
“They’ll be available as long as we have them,” Calhoun said while adding that more kits will likely be acquired in the future.
“We are not testing students,” Board Chair Brandon Pitman clarified. “If a parent wants to come by and pick it up, it’s available to them to take home.”
In addition to approving the test kits, the board also revisited its mask requirement, as it does monthly. The board unanimously approved a decision to keep its mask policy unchanged for at least another month.
Masks are required in schools but parents can complete an opt-out form for their students. Calhoun said more have opted out recently but estimates that roughly more than 80 percent of students in the county are wearing masks.
Pitman asked Calhoun about mask compliance and if faculty and staff were having issues with students properly wearing their face coverings.
“Yeah, you’re still dealing with that,” Calhoun said. “We’re not making it a disciplinary issue but we remind them that there is an opt-out form. They can’t just choose that.”