5 Iredell County Schools Go Remote After Spike In COVID Cases

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — Five Iredell County schools abruptly shut down in-person classes and switched to remote learning after a spike in COVID-19 cases and close-contact quarantines, Iredell-Statesville Schools confirmed Thursday.

The schools will remain remote until Friday, Sept. 10.

The decision comes two days after the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education voted 4-2 in an emergency meeting to ditch a mask-optional policy for the district in favor of requiring masks in classes. The policy went into effect Thursday and is set to be reevaluated monthly.

"Our number one priority is to continue with face-to-face learning," ISS spokesperson Boen Nutting said in a statement. "Sending students home will hopefully mitigate the spread of COVID and allow us to come back healthy on Sept.13, 2021."

SEE ALSO: First Week: 986 ISS Students In Quarantine Or COVID Symptomatic

ISS Schools going remote through Sept. 10 include:

• East Iredell Middle School
• West Iredell Middle School
• Lakeshore Middle School
• North Iredell High School
• Central Elementary School

At least 10 school district staffers and 59 students tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of Aug. 20 through Aug. 26, ISS said Friday. At least seven of the cases were considered secondary spread within schools.

Of the students reported as out, at least 583 were in quarantine due to a school contact, 201 were in quarantine from a possible community contact, and 202 were isolating with COVID-19 symptoms, ISS said.

Among staff members, at least eight were in quarantine due to a school contact, 10 were in quarantine from a possible community contact, and 23 were isolating with COVID-19 symptoms.

"We are hopeful that the mandated mask policy will allow us to get back into the classrooms and reduce the spread of COVID as well as the number of close contacts," Nutting said. "When individuals aren't masked or vaccinated, the quarantine rules inhibit our ability to keep kids in classrooms. While our community is utterly divided on the topic of masks, I believe that most of us agree that students need to be in the classroom. That's our primary goal."

SEE ALSO:

• ISS Board Reverses Course, To Require Masks In Iredell Schools
• Masks Now Required In Indoor Public Spaces In Mecklenburg County
• Rumors Of Student Exodus Over Mask Mandate Prompts MGSD Response
• Yes To Statewide Mask Mandate, Masks In Schools: NC Patch Survey