No masks required at CCS for now
News August 9, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – Clay County students will be returning on August 23, 2021, and this year masks are optional for students and staff for now.
During the July 26, 2021 board meeting, the members voted to not require masks for the upcoming year. However, parents can send their children to school masked if that’s their preference.
83 percent of teachers were in favor of optional masks for this school year. School nurses recommended following NCDHHS and CDC guidance, which requires masks for K-8 for all staff and students. They cited masks’ effectiveness last year.
Only 1 percent of 12–17-year-olds in Clay County have been vaccinated and 34 percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Current CDC guidance asks that everyone, including vaccinated individuals, wear a mask indoors if in an area of substantial or high transmission. Clay County is listed as a high transmission community by the CDC. Case data demonstrated a 22 percent change in 7-day totals in the area. Many southern states are seeing COVID-19 cases rise as the Delta variant works its way across the region.
Since Clay County Schools (CCS) aren’t requiring masks, online learning will remain an option for families who don’t want to potentially expose their children to COVID-19. However, this year, the school system will be using an online academy. CCS teachers won’t be providing in-person and remote learning to students.
Parents who wish to participate in online learning must inform their child’s principal by August 18.
Any student moved to fully remote instruction during Semester 1 must remain on fully remote instruction through December 22, 2021.
The parent must notify the principal that the student will be returning for Semester 2 by December 17th.
Cautionary measures such as quarantine and isolation for students and staff who are exposed, experiencing symptoms, or test positive for COVID-19 will remain in place.
CCS board applied for grant funding for onsite COVID-19 during the board meeting as well. If received, the $100,000 grant would connect them to a vendor for rapid tests, in-depth testing, and the hiring of either a nurse or nurse’s assistant.
Parents still have the option to refuse the testing of their child for COVID-19.
The in-house testing should help CCS isolate COVID-19 cases within the school system and hopefully prevent quarantining of entire classrooms.
Clay County Board of Education members sworn in
Clay County Schools, Community, News December 28, 2020
HAYESVILLE, NC – The two reelected board of education members, Danny Jones and Reba Beck took their oath of office during the December 14, 2020 meeting.
District Court Judge Tessa Sellers administered the oath. Jones and Beck swore to uphold the Constitution of the Unites States and North Carolina. They also promised to uphold their offices as board of education members.
Superintendent Dale Cole attended the meeting virtually after being advised to quarantine by the health department.
Meeting business
Cole thanked the Clay County Historical and Arts Council for bringing culture and enlightenment to students.
The school district is also looking to consolidate technology used between teachers and parents by moving to Edlio Engage App. It’s a source of two-way communication between teachers, parents, and students. Edlio can also translate from English to Spanish, eliminating some of the lost in translation issues. A new website is also in development to provide a more user-friendly experience for visitors.
The board implemented a new school mental-health policy that was required by the state. The focus of the policy is on the whole child, not just education, but physical, mental, environmental, and education. The district previously hired four counselors for each school and a social worker. With the extra stressors of 2020, students greatly benefited from having counselors to speak with.