UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Weddington Elementary School will be transitioning to remote learning from August 27 through September 7 after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Union County Public Schools district.
Wednesday, the school district confirmed a staff member at Weddington Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19, leading district officials to believe some students and staff may have been exposed.
The school will reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday, September 8.
"Because the health and safety of our students and staff is extremely important, UCPS staff is working with the individual and Union County Public Health to determine who has been in close contact with the person who tested positive," the district said in a statement.
Several schools in the Union County School District have recently reported positive cases of COVID-19. Tuesday, WCNC Charlotte obtained emails sent to parents at Waxhaw Elementary School and Parkwood Middle School confirming COVID-19 cases.
In both situations, school officials confirmed a Union County Public Schools employee had tested positive for COVID-19.
For health privacy reasons, the district will not be releasing the identity of the person who tested positive for COVID-19 at Weddington Elementary School. However, students who have been identified as close contacts with the individual who tested positive will be contacted.
The district said they are following cleaning protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in order to disinfect and sanitize the school.
One Union County Schools middle school teacher told WCNC Charlotte she worries when, not if, COVID-19 will have a greater impact on area schools. She did not want to provide her name for fear she could face retaliation.
“I feel the more cases that pop up, the more scared we are to go to school and wonder is our school next, or whose child is next, or whose mom or dad or whose parent is next?” she asked.
The teacher told WCNC Charlotte she thinks things will get worse before they get better.
“We want to get kids in school," the teacher said. "We want to get people back to normal. But, at what risk? It’s not safe yet.”