Students return to schools Thursday

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  • Cherokee County Schools
    Cherokee County Schools
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    Murphy – After discussions with Cherokee County Health Department, Cherokee County Schools plans to continue with the schedules planned before the break with students returning to campuses Thursday.
    “We will monitor and remain flexible knowing we might need to turn on a dime at any time,” Superintendent Jeana Conley said.
    As of Monday, 25 staff members throughout the district were quarantined for possible exposure and 10 were positive for COVID-19. Conley noted that it was an optional work day for staff, so not everyone returned.
    As Health Director David Badger was mulling over suggestions to make to the school district Monday morning, he said the schools did a good job of mitigating risks throughout the fall semester.
    Parents and caregivers are asked to contact their child’s school for more information about the schedule or to change their child’s status as a virtual or face-to-face student.
    "It's not an easy decision at all. Watching the numbers rise is very concerning, but after conferencing with the health department, it appears that the strain that affects children isn't rampant here,” Conley said.
    “We do have growing numbers of our staff in quarantine, so it's also a threat that we may have to close at some point because of lack of staff. Finding (substitute teachers) has become an impossible challenge."