Superintendent's Message - February 5, 2021

A Message from Dr. Chris Lowder, Superintendent 02/05/2021

 

Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper urged North Carolina public schools to return to in-person learning, citing it would be safe to do so as long as school districts followed the safety protocols outlined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). 

 

Before the Governor’s announcement, Cabarrus County Schools already had plans in place to begin this transition. In January, our Board of Education voted to begin the transition to in-person learning with students in grades PreK-3 and students in grades 4-12 who receive services through specific district programs, such as Exceptional Children and McKinney-Vento. We are preparing for those students to attend school in-person Monday-Thursday beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16^th. Students in grades 4-5 will begin attending on this schedule March 15^th. 

 

Our Board of Education organized the COVID-19 Task Force in January. That team of employees, parents, community and business leaders has developed a thorough, thoughtful set of recommendations to help the Board in its decision-making with regard to in-person learning. 

 

Our goal since the Governor closed schools in March 2020 has always been to return to learning in our classrooms. When we began our 2 days/week of in-person learning in the fall, we knew we wanted to expand students’ time in the classroom. However, at the time, our community was facing increases in positive cases of coronavirus almost daily, which continued throughout the fall and into the winter holiday season. The rise in cases during that time prompted our Board to return all students to remote learning until the end of the first semester.

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, keeping our students and staff safe has been at the top of our list of priorities. We continue to have open lines of communication and cooperation with our partners at Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA) and continue to follow guidance from the health professionals at NCDHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

We have implemented a myriad of safety protocols, e.g. temperature checks before entering our buildings, requirements for wearing masks and reminders about keeping your distance from others and washing your hands. We have enhanced our building cleaning protocols and have revised HVAC system run-time schedules to better control humidity levels and modify temperatures in unoccupied spaces. 

We developed a Weekly Case Report to help keep you abreast of the numbers of cases throughout the district, and we initiated regular communications with parents and staff regarding cases at their school or work location. 

 

We will continue to look for ways to improve upon our protocols. You can find information about our district’s protocols and plans in these resources: 

 

I applaud the dedication and efforts of our teachers and other school-based personnel over the past 11 months. I am encouraged by the promise of vaccinations and look forward to the day that we can all gather for events, celebrations and activities. But mostly, I am grateful to be a part of a community that cares so much about our school system, our students and our staff. 

 

With thanks and gratitude,

 

 

Chris Lowder, Ed.D.

Superintendent