Murphy – Due to community spread and staffing issues caused by possible exposures to COVID-19, The Learning Center charter school has decided to enter remote learning for the remainder of the month.
The charter school returned from Christmas break on Jan. 4, with all grades attending in person four days a week. Ryan Bender, head of school, made the announcement that the entire school would be moving to remote learning Saturday.
“This was a fairly easy decision to make as it directly relates to the health and well-being of school community, and we knew it was just the right thing to do,” Bender said Monday morning. “Last year, prior to the governor shutting down schools statewide, we had already made plans to make this switch ourselves, as we felt it was the right thing to do, so we stay proactive rather than reactive in decisions such as this.
“In addition, many charter leaders across the state, with whom I remain in close contact, have also made these transition plans for the month of January, so they served as a good inspiration for our own plans.”
Remote learning will continue at the charter for at least three weeks.
“Three weeks will give us enough time to truly see a trend in statistics from county numbers as well as help determine if it is safe to bring the students back,” Bender said. “I am confident that once the county numbers level out, we will have a successful spring semester as well.”
He said the school has been working closely with the Cherokee County Health Department. Teachers were reminded the school could transition to remote learning anytime during the year.
“These awesome teachers are resilient and adaptable, so I fully expect a smooth transition in and out of remote learning.” Bender said.
Families needing nutrition or technology support were asked to contact the school office. Bender said all students in need of a computer at home were provided one by the school, and the school was in process of distributing hot spots to families with poor or no internet.
During the fall, the charter school was not impacted by COVID cases. Since returning from break last week, the school has had two confirmed cases. On Jan. 6, the charter had to close one building on campus due to COVID exposure. That building was expected to be closed until Jan. 19.
The Learning Center has a total of 174 students, with students able to chose in-person or remote learning this school year. In-person middle school numbers were low enough that the school could welcome students at every grade level four days a week while still following state guidelines.
The charter follows the same guidelines and procedures as Cherokee County Schools.