Press release from Asheville City Schools:
Last week, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updated its StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit.
Following many meetings with school and district-based leaders as well as discussions with Buncombe County Health and Human Services to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting our local community, the Asheville City Board of Education has determined that, at this time:
-All Pre-K thru 12th Graders will be required to wear face coverings consistently while inside during the school day regardless of a student’s vaccination status.
On Wednesday, July 28th, Buncombe County Health and Human Services shared that about 41% of Buncombe County 12 to 17-year-olds have received the first dose of the vaccine. 35% are fully vaccinated.-All staff, both school-based and district-wide support positions, will be required to wear face coverings consistently while inside during the school day regardless of their vaccination status.
-In alignment with the Toolkit and current CDC recommendations, all students, Pre-K thru 12th Grade, will be required to wear face coverings on school buses.
Students and staff will NOT be required to wear face coverings when they are outside for recess, PE or when learning in an outdoor classroom. However, student-athletes will be required to wear face coverings when they are not actively engaged in rigorous physical activity, regardless of whether their sporting event is taking place indoors or outside.-Additionally, please know that our schools will be having Meet the Teacher events prior to the 2021-2022 school year; however, ACS will NOT be hosting large, school-wide, indoor gatherings, as they do not allow for proper social distancing. School leaders are organizing Meet the Teacher events based on their space and school community. More information will be coming directly from your child’s school.
These decisions fall in alignment with recommendations made by staff during tonight’s Board of Education meeting. A copy of the district’s Back to School Safety Protocols presentation can be found here.
Furthermore, please know the district has also updated its Questions & Answer Page to reflect these updates and will share more information as it becomes available. As your questions arise, please continue to email me at ashley.thublin@acsgmail.net. And, should you have any specific questions about your child’s school, please feel free to reach out to their principal directly.
The 2021-2022 school year begins in less than three weeks. As we countdown the days until August 23rd, you can be sure Asheville City Schools continues to have a strong focus on implementing health and safety measures that will best support our students and staff.
In alignment with the Toolkit and our local health experts, we know and understand that “vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.” Therefore, if you are over the age of 12 and have not yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, we highly encourage you to attend one of Buncombe County’s no-cost, upcoming vaccine events.
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