Socially distant classroom set up at Starmount High School.
Yadkin County students are expected to return to school starting on Monday, with some students taking part in all-remote learning via the Yadkin Virtual Academy and others returning to the classroom two days a week. The usual school open house days and first day back will look much differently this year for students and staff. The first week of school, beginning Aug. 17 will be a soft opening with small group and individual orientation times planned for students and families.
Schools will use these individual sessions to help students and families become familiar with the new procedures and protocols YCS will be following this year, explained Yadkin Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Martin. Additionally, schools will make sure families have the supplies they need in order to engage in Remote Learning, and will also help families become acquainted with the various online resources that will be utilized by teachers this year.
The annual teacher back-to-school celebration has also been cancelled. Martin said a virtual meeting might take place ahead of the start of the new year or an in-person gathering later in the year. Students and parents have a lot of changes to contend with this school year, as do the teachers and staff.
In a message especially for teachers at Yadkin County Schools, Martin said, “this year will be different and there will be bumps in the road but we will work through them together.”
“We have been working through things together since the middle of March and will continue to do so,” Martin continued. “I am so proud of our employees because they have demonstrated a resilience and determination and grit as we have dealt with COVID-19. I am very happy to welcome our people back and am excited that we will soon have students in our classrooms again. We have put measures in place to make things as safe as possible for our students and employees. At the same time, and this is very important, the pandemic will not last forever. There will be a day when our classrooms will be full again and we will see a return to something more normal. In the meantime, we are going to work together with students and parents and we are going to do the absolute best we can when our students return. I trust our employees and know they will work very hard to make things the best they can for the students.”
Martin said that most teachers he had personally spoken to in recent weeks were excited to see students return, although he said there is some nervousness overall under the circumstances. Martin did say the school system had a few unexpected retirements and resignations ahead of the new year.
“I truly wish this were not the case because we have lost some good people but it is not unexpected because some are concerned, especially if they have underlying health conditions,” said Martin.
Martin said they are working on a case by case basis with teachers who have underlying health issues to best accommodate them.
Teachers in the area are excited to see their students again after the unexpected ending to the last school year, but the pandemic is casting a shadow of doubt over the usual excitement of a new school year.
Several teachers spoke on condition of anonymity about their feelings as they prepare to return to their classroom in the midst of a pandemic.
“I miss my students and I am excited to be able to see them, however with all of the uncertainty of the virus and ever-changing information on how it spreads and who it effects it makes me very uneasy about being in a school building around lots of different people every day,” said a Yadkin County elementary school teacher.
A high school teacher added, “I feel a bit nervous simply because it’s uncharted territory, but I have confidence that our leadership is looking out for us and making well informed decisions.”
“I am excited to see my students. I have missed them terribly. It will be so good to see them. Every year brings its challenges. This is just another challenge for us. We are all in this together and we will come out stronger than we were before,” the teacher added.
Feedback from parents ahead of the start of the new year as been overall positive, Martin said.
“Most understand that reopening schools is not simply opening the doors. They understand that there has been a tremendous amount of planning involved and that a great deal of work has been done in preparation to bring students back to school,” he said.
The safety procedures in place for the start of the school year is one of the main points of discussion, said Martin.
“[Parents] have been curious about our safety procedures and measures that we will have in place. There are also concerns about the hybrid schedule and students receiving in-person instruction two days a week and participating in remote learning the other three days. At the same time, they understand that our schools have to operate at half capacity based on the governor’s decision and the guidance we have received from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The same is true of students needing to wear masks. While some have expressed concerns about this, we have to follow the requirements provided to us by the NC Department of Health and Human Services,” he said.
At program at Yadkinville Elementary held late last month gave the school system an opportunity to begin trying out the safety procedures. Elementary students were on campus for help with reading and math as part of the Summer Jump Start program, Martin said.
“We had our safety measures in place and things went smoothly. I’m happy we were able to do this because it gave us a chance to run through our procedures and things worked well,” he said.
Kitsey Burns Harrison may be reached at 336-679-2341 or on Twitter and Instagram @RippleReporterK.