STANLY COUNTY, N.C. — Students at North Stanly High School will not be allowed into the school from October 7 through October 16 after multiple positive COVID-19 cases among school staff in a "short period of time."
In a message to North Stanly High School families, principal Julienne Fallen said school leaders were not aware of any students being considered a close contact to any staff member who tested positive.
The remote learning will start Wednesday, October 7, and will continue until Friday, October 16. During that time, students will work on class assignments through the online platform Canvas.
"We ask parents to closely monitor your child's health during remote learning," Fallen said in the message to families. "IF you notice your child developing any [symptoms] of illness, please notify your child's health care provider and school nurse."
Parents were notified about the cases around 7 o’clock Tuesday night through an email and a Facebook post.
One person commented, expressing their frustration over in-person learning, saying, “It would be a vastly different argument if there was no other option but when you could be virtually learning, why would you risk the health and lives of staff and students? Especially after having so many outbreaks along with the tragic loss of a teacher.”
The transition to virtual learning comes as the Stanly County community mourns the death of Julie Davis, a teacher at Norwood Elementary School that died of Covid-19, according to school officials. School leaders say Davis did not contract the virus at school.
At Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, members became emotional as they reflected on Davis’s life and sending students and teachers back to the classroom.
“Since Sunday morning I haven’t thought about too much else except for the news that we received about Mrs. Davis,” said Patty Crump as she fought back tears. “This is a very difficult decision to be in. Before I was in this position I used to stand in a classroom and throw darts with my words and say all kind of things about people in the central office and said they didn’t know what the teachers were dealing with. I was wrong. They agonize over these decisions.”
North Stanly High students return to school Monday, October 19th.