Robbinsville – Following Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to move toward full-time in-person school statewide, Graham County Schools made some changes to its current instructional plans.
Superintendent Angie Knight said that starting Monday, the district is no longer offering its hybrid learning option, with district students attending either completely in-person or completely online. However, she said the students would continue attending school only four days a week. Wednesday will remain a remote-learning day.
The decision to further reopen schools passed the General Assembly on March 11 and was signed by Cooper the following day.
The changes only affects secondary students.
“All schools have the option to face-to-face instruction four days a week,” Knight said. “You could come back five (days), but we’re going to go with four days a week.”
She said the ending of the hybrid option would be the biggest change from the district’s prior setup.
Knight added the change wasn’t a difficult one for the district to make, since it was mostly following the guidelines prior to Cooper’s announcement.
The guidelines also ease some of the prior social distancing restrictions, although other COVID-19 safety measures – including face coverings, and increased cleaning and sanitization – will remain in effect.
“The new legislation requires minimal social distancing that’s smaller than six feet, but everything else is still in place,” Knight said.
She also spoke in support of the rule changes and emphasized that the district had been in contact with the Graham County Health Department on the changes and throughout the pandemic.
“I’m absolutely excited that we can offer those kids an opportunity to come back to school,” Knight said. “That’s where they should be. The board is in agreement with it and our whole school system is excited to welcome all of our kids back.”
The district will be required to make a weekly report about any cases of the virus in its facilities to the state.
“Nothing will change on the way we were quarantining or not,” Knight added.
She encouraged anyone with questions to call their child’s school.