CHARLOTTE — Diocese of Charlotte schools are responding as the more contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus continues to surge, shifting some classes to remote or hybrid learning where needed to prevent virus spread.
Diocesan school leaders are relying on a system of specific metrics aligned with CDC guidance to navigate the changing conditions and decide if and when to shift to hybrid or fully remote learning for 7 to 14 days. So far, COVID-19 data have triggered shifts to some amount of virtual learning in at least four of 19 schools.
This system was used successfully last year, said Dr. Gregory Monroe, diocesan schools superintendent, and enables school leaders to use concrete data in determining their COVID-19 responses.
“The incidence of COVID-19 in our schools has been low and, as one of the largest school systems in North Carolina that provided in-person education five days a week last year, we gained a wealth of experience that has influenced what we’re doing today,” Monroe said.
The metrics vary slightly between the diocese’s 16 elementary/middle and three high schools because of their different characteristics, but all involve the percentage of students and teachers testing positive, the number of students on quarantine, the identification of clusters, and any evidence or potential for school spread.
For the diocese’s high schools, the decision is made to shift to hybrid instruction if 3-5 percent of the total in-person student population has tested positive, and shift to remote learning if that number reaches 5 percent or higher.
So far, school leaders say, the number of cases has not resulted in a significant shift away from in-person instruction – although some schools have shifted a class, multiple classes and, in one case, an entire school to virtual learning.
Three Mecklenburg Area Catholic elementary schools recently shifted a few classes to remote learning after positive cases were reported. All of the cases were traced to outside sources of infection, Monroe said.
Christ the King High School in Kernersville went virtual Sept. 1 for a week after 26 positive cases turned up in the school community – just at the 5 percent threshold metric.
The high school did not identify any “clusters” of infection (defined as five connected cases in one class) – since the 26 positive cases were dispersed among different classes and grades – yet “we believe it is prudent to proactively shift to remote learning to limit any potential virus spread at the school,” Dr. Carl Semmler, principal, told parents in an Aug. 31 letter.
Face coverings are now required indoors at nearly every school, under most circumstances, in line with local public health and government mandates. Each school has developed its own procedure for registering exemptions claimed by parents, as spelled out by local public health rules.
Concerns among some parents over mask exemptions at some MACS schools prompted Monroe to write in a Sept. 1 letter: “Although the face covering mandate adopted by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County has raised some concerns, our Christian community has – and must continue to – come together to treat one another with compassion and respect. All Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools are observing the face covering mandate, with exemptions permitted as prescribed by the city-county proclamation. It is up to parents to decide whether an exemption is justified for their children, and we ask that anyone claiming an exemption register with their school office.
"We also ask that everyone respect the choices families make; we all want our children to be safe and rest assured that our schools will act upon any indication of virus spread.”
Schools are also continuing their focus on enhanced cleaning, frequent handwashing, symptom awareness and contact tracing.
— Catholic News Herald