Robbinsville – When Graham County students return to in-person instruction on Monday, they will be required to wear a mask.
And thanks to a $14,134.58 investment, each pupil will have a mask available to them.
At Tuesday’s board of education meeting, assistant superintendent Robert Moody said the district had struck a deal with Home Depot to order 66,350 masks, which should provide a 2-month supply for students – if each student in the district asks for a fresh mask daily.
The board has placed a mask mandate on buses and inside school facilities until Oct. 6, when the board will meet again to analyze any potential amendments to the policy.
Board member Pam Knott presented a motion to require all indoor spectators at sporting events – which right now, only applies to volleyball – to wear a mask.
The motion spurned a discussion about mandating wearing a mask at outdoor sporting events, but ultimately failed.
Elementary gymnasium
Superintendent Angie Knight also provided an update to the on-going repairs at the Robbinsville Elementary School gymnasium.
Structural engineers have determined that the existing walls can be saved, but upgrades for integrity will be required.
Knight said that although several requests for bids have been sought, only one was received: Western Builders of Sylva, Inc., who provided a quote for $49,473.
The same contractor is currently working on the addition at Robbinsville Middle School. The board unanimously accepted the bid.
The project should take roughly two weeks, before the floor will be re-sanded and the bleachers re-installed.
Those two steps will incur additional costs.
Discussions are ongoing as to where the homecoming court will be placed Oct. 1, as well as where the middle school basketball teams will play when the season begins in November.