Reopening plan reviewed, OK'd by Toe River Health District
LEDGER — Mitchell County Schools will return to in-person instruction on Monday, Aug. 16, guided by a district-wide reopening plan that features the traditional five-day per week school schedule while adhering to safety protocols.
Face coverings, while required by federal order on buses, are recommended but not required inside school buildings for students and staff.
Superintendent Chad Calhoun said he heard ample public feedback regarding masks.
“We still strongly recommended they wear a mask, but it’s up to the parents,” Calhoun said. “We trust the parents.”
Unlike in the hybrid schedule utilized late in the 2020-21 academic year, there will be no virtual school option for students during the 2021-22 school year. If schools close for COVID, virtual learning will be initiated.
Calhoun said the decision to not offer a virtual option was based on staffing limitations, adding that fewer than 30 students from several different grade levels expressed interest in a virtual option.
“We just didn’t have enough numbers,” he said. “If we were a big system, it’d be a lot easier to do.”
Staff and students are encouraged to stay home if they are sick or running a fever of 100.4 or higher.
Area schools will continue to focus on cleaning and sanitation of high contact areas and visitors to buildings during school hours will be allowed by appointment only. Hand sanitation stations will be available in schools and staff and students will be trained on healthy routines, as needed.
Every area school will have a school nurse. Students who have a temperature above 100.4 or who exhibit COVID symptoms will go to a sick room with a mask available and their parent or guardian will be contacted. Sick rooms will be sanitized regularly.
Parents are asked to check their child’s temperature before sending them onto the bus or into school. Screenings will be implemented at school when the Toe River Health District identifies outbreaks in the county or in individual schools. Screenings may also occur during times of high absenteeism or widespread sickness, such as during flu season.
Academic field trips that can be conducted safely will be approved and all school athletic teams will follow North Carolina High School Athletic Association mandates. Updates will be provided by athletic directors and coaches in the coming weeks.
“I’m glad to get field trips back,” Calhoun said. “We’ll monitor where we’re sending them. We want kids to have every educational experience.”
Calhoun added that volunteers will be allowed back into school buildings and after-school programs for elementary school students will begin after Labor Day.
The reopening plan is fluid, as the school system will continue to monitor any changes to local, state or federal guidelines that may warrant changes or additions to the plan. Additionally, MCS will continue to work closely with the Toe River Health District to monitor case numbers and individual schools and receive guidance.
Calhoun said Toe River Health District Director Diane Creek reviewed the plan and called it “great” before giving it her approval.
“We’re prepared to do some of the things we did last year,” Calhoun said. “We tried to be as detailed as possible. We’re still going to clean. We’re still going to be preventive and social distance as much as possible.”