What Do Schools in NC Do When They Have a COVID-19 Case?

December 18, 2020

An article published on WFMY News 2, written by Grace Holland and titled, Coronavirus Cleaning Procedures Vary at Triad Schools stated that some school districts are closing for a couple of days when there is a coronavirus case while other school districts close for a couple of weeks.

One of the schools, Montlieu Academy of Technology in High Point, North Carolina, closed due to a staff member contracting the coronavirus. On the other hand, Morehead High School in Rockingham County closed for two weeks after someone was exposed to COVID-19. As you can see, not all school districts follow the same criteria when there's a coronavirus exposure. There are many factors used to decide whether a school should close and for how long it should remain closed. Those factors take into consideration how many people were exposed, which part of the building the coronavirus case was found, and how many students were affected.

Some Triad school districts follow the NC Department of Health and Human Services guidance on how to handle cases. Per the guide, any school staff personnel must conduct screenings when a child arrives at the school. Upon arrival, the child is screened for COVID-19 and temperature. If a child has been previously exposed to COVID or is experiencing symptoms, confirmed by a nurse or delegated staff, the child gets evaluated again. If confirmed once again, the child must be sent home or held until they can go home. A child can only attend classes if no flags were detected upon temperature screening.

For more information on how school districts react to a coronavirus case, don't forget to click on the link provided above or here: Coronavirus Cleaning Procedures Vary at Triad Schools