At Tuesday’s New Hanover County School Board meeting, district staff presented how they’re planning to reopen elementary schools next week.
85% of elementary students are returning to the classroom full-time next week. And school administrative staff say they’re ready for them to return.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Eddie Anderson says there’s a target the district has adopted for social distancing:
“Even when the schools have called and said, ‘Hey, we’re having problems setting up. We’re just concerned that we’re not achieving our goal of 3-foot separation.’ And by the time we’ve left those schools, we’ve achieved that.”
Julie Varnam, assistant superintendent of support services, says they’re in compliance with the CDC guidelines for a safe reopening:
“And the first mitigation effort would be universal and correct use of masks should be required. Next, physical distancing at least 6 feet should be maximized to the greatest extent possible.”
While the school district did report one cluster from a sports team at Holly Shelter Middle School last month, county health officials say that staff vaccination efforts and dropping positive testing rates for the virus are good signs for returning to school.
But they do say that more contagious variants will come to our area and that we might see increases in infection rates.
Below is the NHCS Preparedness Plan
NHCS Plan A opening preparedness by Ben Schachtman on Scribd