With more students and staff testing positive for COVID-19, RRGSD Board of Trustees voted Tuesday night to remain virtual through March 16 and assess the health data at future Board meetings in January and February.
In a statement to the Board, Halifax County Health Director Bruce Robistow said, “I would recommend distance learning until we can get the numbers under better control locally.”
Halifax County has seen a spike in positive COVID-19 cases since the holidays increasing from less than a thousand in September to 3500 cases today.
“We went from 10 positive cases in our schools in October to 79 today. At this point it’s about the safety of our students and staff. We’ve had a teacher and student hospitalized in recent weeks,” said Dr. Dain Butler, Superintendent.
The district also had to temporarily close Clara Hearne Pre-K in December due to a cluster of COVID-19 cases among staff.
The Halifax County Health Department will begin offering vaccines to teachers and support staff 50 year of age and over next week and plans to offer it to those under 50 in the coming weeks.
“I want more than anything for our students to be in the classroom learning and a return to what we had prior to this pandemic. We’ve had a number of staff express interest in getting the vaccine. If availability continues at the current levels, they should be getting their second dose by mid to late February,” Butler added.
The district will continue to offer Grab & Go Meal Monday through Thursday at both Manning and Belmont Elementary from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with extra meal distribution on Thursdays for the weekend. The district will also continue to offer technical help for students who may have trouble connecting through the Tech Help Desk.