Two NC school districts shift temporarily to remote learning
Two Western North Carolina school districts -- both among the smallest in the state -- have moved to remote-only learning this week, until mid-September.
On Monday, the Graham County Board of Education voted in an emergency meeting Monday night to begin remote learning Tuesday, lasting until Monday, Sept. 13. That will total eight student school days. During that meeting, the board also reversed its previous decision to make masks optional.
On Sunday, Mitchell County Schools announced it would conduct remote learning until Sept. 7, the first ay back after Labor Day weekend. On Monday, the school board voted to require masks when social distancing isn't possible indoors and when a student's parent or guardian hasn't completed an opt-out form for the mask requirement.
Graham County, which enrolled about 1,100 students last year, canceled on-campus activities until the return to in-person learning, as well, including athletic competitions.
Officials in Mitchell County, which rolled about 1,700 students last year, cited "the number of COVID cases and quarantines" in the district for their decision.
Despite their small sizes, both counties have COVID-19 case rates of more than 11,000 cases per 100,000 residents. That makes for some of the higher case rates among North Carolina's rural eastern and western edges. Both also neighbor counties with higher case rates.
