IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — All 7th-grade students and teachers at Third Creek Middle will begin the school year with remote learning, according to the Iredell-Statesville Schools district.
It comes after a student or employee at Third Creek Middle School tested positive for COVID-19, according to a letter sent to parents from Iredell County Health Director Jane Hinson on August 16.
Iredell-Statesville Schools worked with the health department to determine who had been in close contact with that individual. The Iredell County Health Department said it was determined that no visitors, parents or students were in close contact with the individual during the open house held August 13.
However, some close contacts have been notified and told to quarantine for 14 days.
Iredell-Statesville Schools has "properly cleaned and disinfected" impacted areas of the building based on standards from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The school district said as a result of the positive COVID-19 result and the local health department's requirement for close contacts to quarantine, all 7th-grade students and teachers at Third Creek Middle will now begin the school year with remote learning on August 17.
There are 159 students in the 7th-grade at TCMS.
After the completion of contact tracing, 6th and 8th-grade students at TCMS will continue with Plan B learning Monday.
There are 64 students in 6th grade and 66 in 8th grade scheduled to return to campus on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday will be a cleaning day, and all students will learn remotely. Then on Thursday and Friday, 46 students in 6th-grade and 45 in 8th grade are scheduled to return to campus.
The school district said 92 students combined from 6th and 8th grade have opted for full remote learning at Third Creek Middle.
The district said 7th-grade students are expected to return to Plan B on campus on August 31.