DOBSON — Children and teenagers in Surry County Schools will join their Mount Airy counterparts when all students are allowed back in the schools for in-person instruction beginning April 12.
The county school board voted on Friday for the move, following a deal earlier in the week between Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders calling for all public school systems in the state to offer in-person classroom education five days a week. The new state measure will require all staff and students to continue wearing masks, but does not require adherence to the CDC guidelines of maintaining 6 feet social distancing.
The county school system had already voted earlier in the week, on Monday, to increase in-person learning for middle school and high school students. Prior to the March 8 vote, those students were allowed to attend school on a staggered schedule, with some attending Monday and Tuesday, others attending Wednesday and Thursday, while holding virtual learning on Fridays. Monday’s vote in Surry County was to add rotating Fridays to each group.
Elementary school students were already attending school four days a week. Now, all students will be allowed to attend Monday through Friday, although the state law mandates all schools still offer virtual education alternatives to students who wish to continue with remote learning.
Mount Airy City Schools had already had students in classes five days a week, since Aug. 17, though officials there were not able to accommodate all students who wanted to return to the middle school because of social distancing requirements. Now, those students will all be able to return.
According to Dr. Tracey Lewis, Surry County Schools director of communications/teacher recruitment & retention for the county schools, during Friday’s meeting the board cited current health metrics and a decline in positive COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks. She also said the board heard “compelling reports from all eight middle and high school principals who had solicited feedback from school staff prior to the meeting.” Among their concerns were the mental health of students, their grades, and attendance practices.
“One year ago, none of us had any idea we would be in this position. Now, one year later, we are on the cusp of getting our students back to in-person learning five days per week,” said Superintendent Dr. Travis L. Reeves. “I am so proud of our principals and staff for how dedicated they have been to our students and families, especially during the pandemic. It has been challenging but administrators, teachers, and support staff have worked tirelessly to ensure our students had continuity in care and continuity in learning, whether remotely or in-person.
“I am so excited we will have all of our students in our schools and classrooms full-time very soon,” he continued. “I have every confidence that our team can return to in-person instruction safely five days per week with a continued focus on maintaining health and safety protocols.”
The county Board of Education on Friday approved federal COVID-relief funds to recruit and employ 28 additional temporary classified employees to be allocated throughout all K-12 schools to assist with a variety of duties including literacy instruction, tutoring for student support, classroom management, bus monitoring, and student supervision.
“I am proud of the step our board took today. These additional positions will enable us to facilitate our plans and also support teachers in the process,” Reeves said. “Having students back in our classrooms full-time, our goal will be for teachers to fully concentrate on teaching students in-person, and we have plans to ensure our remote learners continue to have high-quality instruction as well.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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