Asheville City Schools updates COVID-19 plans, measures

Announcement from Asheville City Schools:

March 10, 2020

Good Evening Asheville City Schools Families,

As part of our continued efforts to ensure the health and well-being of our school community, we have established a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Executive Task Force.  Each day, this group is monitoring the potential impact coronavirus could have on Asheville City Schools. In addition, we are developing a contingency plan should Buncombe County Health and Human Services close one or more of our schools due to the virus’ impact.

Additionally, the district has launched this web page and will post district updates, resources and answers to your frequently asked questions as new information is made available.

Although current information is rapidly changing about the coronavirus, the following is accurate as of today:

• Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in effect for all of North Carolina.
• To date, there have been reported cases of the coronavirus in 113 countries and territories as well as seven confirmed coronavirus cases in North Carolina.  There have been no confirmed cases in Buncombe County.
• Symptoms of the coronavirus are fever, cough and shortness of breath.
• The virus may be transmitted by being in close proximity with droplet contact (coughing, sneezing, etc.) from an infected person.

Asheville City Schools has been working with Buncombe County Health and Human Services as well as MAHEC to prevent the spread of all diseases across our school district, including the coronavirus.  They have, in turn, shared information from the North Carolina Division of Public Health as well as the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.  Asheville City Schools is committed to keeping our students, staff and families as informed as possible.

FIELD TRIPS:

With our students’ safety at the forefront of all decisions made, we have decided that all international and out-of-state field trips/work-related travel for both our students and staff is canceled until further notice.  This decision was made with input from our principals and the Asheville City Board of Education. We know this decision will have a financial impact on our students and families.  Asheville City Schools has begun working with vendors to determine possible refunds.  Specifics regarding fees paid and possible refunds will be addressed at a future date since the circumstance is unique.

The district is also proceeding with caution regarding in-state travel.  As new information becomes available, principals may need to alter or cancel these trips.  As with any field trip, if a parent wishes for their child to stay at school rather than attend an in-state trip, the student can most certainly opt out of attending.

AT-HOME LEARNING:

In collaboration with our Asheville City Schools teachers, our Curriculum and Instruction Department has a plan for at-home learning should Buncombe County Health and Human Services close one or more of our schools.

• Elementary students will be taking home packets complete with reading selections/activities, math worksheets as well as other other core content.  The packets are currently at the printers. We anticipate they will go home with students by next week. Please hold off on completing these at-home learning packets until further guidance is given.
• Similar to our elementary students, Montford North Star Academy 6th and 7th Graders will be receiving at-home learning packets.
• Because the district assigns secondary students with Asheville City Schools devices (Chromebooks, laptops), Montford North Star Academy 8th Graders as well as all Asheville Middle School, Asheville High School and SILSA students will be able to complete online assignments through Canvas as prepared by their teachers.  If a student does not have at-home internet access, we encourage our students to visit their school’s media center to inquire about checking out a wifi hotspot device, which will provide internet access.

HAND-WASHING PROTOCOLS:

We continue to place strong emphasis on our hand-washing protocols district-wide.  Hand-washing posters have gone up across our campuses, and students are being given additional opportunities to wash their hands during the school day.  In addition to soap and water access, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is also available in classrooms. We have also developed a lesson for all teachers to instruct students on best practices for preventing the spread of illness, including proper hand-washing. We are in the process of delivering this instruction to all students across Asheville City Schools.

OTHER PROACTIVE STEPS:

As previously shared, our custodians and Maintenance Department are continuing to proactively disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.  We will also continue to have supplemental custodial personnel in our buildings, after school hours, to assist with our extended sanitizing process.

We will share additional updates as we learn more about the progression of the coronavirus and its impact on Western North Carolina and Asheville City Schools.  If you have questions or concerns, you might want to speak with your healthcare provider directly, contact Buncombe County Health and Human Services at (828) 250-5096, or Shane Cassida, our Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services, at (828) 350-6131.

Thank you for your support as we implement these precautionary measures.  We believe they will positively impact the safety of our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bobbie Short, Interim Superintendent