LEDGER — The Mitchell County Schools Board of Education met Friday, Sept. 25 to reevaluate and revise the school reopening plan in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.
Under the revised plan, seventh and eighth graders who chose face-to-face learning will return to school on Oct. 5 under an A/B schedule and high school students can return to in-person learning on Oct. 12 under an A/B schedule.
For seventh and eighth grade students, the A/B schedule will last for at least two weeks.
Students with last names beginning with the letters A-K will attend face-to-face instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays and continue with remote instruction on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Students with last names L-Z will attend face-to-face instruction on Wednesdays and Thursdays and continue remote learning on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Fridays will be a remote learning day for all seventh and eighth graders.
If all goes well, all seventh and eighth graders can return to in-person five days a week on Oct. 19.
Superintendent Chad Calhoun said the decision to return middle school and high school students on the A/B schedule was mostly due to limited capacity on buses.
“The transportation aspect of this is the hardest part, especially for small districts like us,” Calhoun said.
Under current state guidelines, K-5 students are now under Plan A, which means they can sit closer on buses. However, students in middle school and high school are still under Plan B, so they still have to sit one student per seat on buses unless they are immediate family.
This causes a major logistical problem because most buses in Mitchell County carry students from a range of grade levels to different schools. Executive Director of Transportation Mark Hughes said he is looking at new bus routes that can accommodate this guideline.
Another issue for transportation is the distance some students live from the schools.
“For most schools in North Carolina, their kids live within a 10-mile radius of the school, but that’s not true for the mountains,” Calhoun said. “Their drivers can just run a few routes in that 10-mile radius and get all their kids. You can’t do that in the mountains when we’ve got kids who live almost 30 miles away.
Calhoun said parents have helped buses out immensely during the morning drop-offs, but said they are still struggling in the afternoons. Calhoun urged parents who are able to pick up their children after school as well as dropping them off in the morning.
“I think this plan will work, especially if parents of middle schoolers and also elementary schoolers will help us out and pick their children up in the afternoon,” Calhoun said. “That frees up much more room on the bus and can help us stay within state guidelines.”
The logistics and details of the high school’s A/B schedule will be determined by Mitchell High School Principal Mark Woody and should be released this week.
For high school students, the A/B schedule will continue until “further notice,” which could be until next semester.
The new plan passed unanimously by the board, though board member Angela Burleson left the meeting early and did not cast a vote.
Calhoun said the revised plan for students to return to in-person learning has been approved by the Mitchell County Health Department. Calhoun added they are continuing to follow the health department’s guidance as they move forward.
All students will still be required to wear masks, remain socially distanced and follow daily screening procedures.
Students who are enrolled in the virtual program and would like to return to face-to-face instruction may do so, but must contact the school by Oct. 2.