Nearly 400 Quarantined, 34 COVID-19 Cases In Mooresville Schools

MOORESVILLE, NC — Community spread of COVID-19 continued to disrupt school in Mooresville this week, as nearly 400 were in quarantine in Mooresville Graded School District schools just 10 school days into a new school year, according to school district data.

As of Friday, Aug. 13, the school district reported 396 students in quarantine and at least 34 confirmed positive cases, up from 261 in quarantine and 24 positive cases reported Tuesday.

Here is a breakdown of individuals in quarantine per school as of Aug. 13, according to MGSD COVID-19 Dashboard:

• South Elementary — 18
• Rocky River Elementary — 26
• Park View Elementary — 9
• Mooresville Middle — 159
• Mooresville Intermediate — 17
• Mooresville High — 160
• East Mooresville Intermediate — 7

In the past week, Iredell County has reported 698 new COVID cases, representing a nearly 105 percent increase, according to the CDC's COVID tracker. New hospitalizations for COVID illness in the county rose about 34 percent.

Statewide, the number of COVID-19 cases rose by more than 6,6000 new cases Friday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported. As of Aug. 13, at least one out of every four of the 2,483 patients hospitalized in the state for COVID illness were in an intensive care unit, leaving 13 percent of the state's staffed ICU beds available, according to DHHS data.

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Mooresville Graded School District's first day back to school on Aug. 2 made it one of the first school districts in the Charlotte metro region to resume classes for a new academic year at a time when school districts across the state and country are grappling with the feasibility of masking mandates.

Late last month, MGSD leaders voted to make masking optional for students and teachers when classes resumed Aug. 2, saying that enforcing a mandatory mask policy would be difficult to enforce and disruptive to learning. The decision countered guidance issued by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling for mandatory face coverings in all K-12 schools.

Four days into the new school year, however, the school district abruptly called for immediate universal masking in all school district buildings beginning Aug. 6 due to COVID spread among the district's seven schools.

"In the first four days of school, we have quarantined over 80 students, including an entire classroom," MGSD Superintendent Stephen Mauney said in a message to school families announcing the policy change. "If required masking were in place during the first four days, our quarantine number would have been less than 10 students total. This data point itself shows us that we can keep more kids in school when we all wear masks."

Mauney said the decision to require masking in school facilities was made through consultation with the Iredell County Health Department.

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• Mooresville Schools Quarantine 261 For Possible COVID Exposure
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