This 4th Update regarding recovery from Tropical Storm Fred comes after much heroic work from our community. We are very proud of everyone who worked to mitigate or assist in the recovery of a devastating storm. There are so many amazing stories about groups and individuals who went above and beyond in an effort to make things better. From the Haywood County Board of Education, administration and staff, we thank you. We owe a special thanks to our community partners who provided rescue operations, established shelters, provided essential resources and continue to work establishing long-term assistance to those impacted in the community.

We thank you for helping our fellow citizens and for helping us work to get the school system up and running again. We know it will be a long haul for many including the school system. We will keep working and moving forward. That is what we do in Haywood County and we are proud to be part of the overall recovery process.

The Board of Education held a remote Emergency Meeting earlier this evening. The meeting was established to share a broad update for the school system and make some decisions about next steps. During the meeting, the Board passed a unanimous motion to request emergency funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, North Carolina State General Assembly and the Governor related to Tropical Storm Fred damages.

The meeting was livestreamed and will be posted (after closed captioning is complete). Here are highlights from the meeting:

• All schools (except Central Haywood High School) will reopen for in-person learning on Monday, August 23, 2021. Two things are very important as we open for in-person learning.

1.  Students and staff must stay-at-home when they can answer “yes” to any of the following questions.

•  Have you had “close contact” with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or has any health department or health care provider been in contact with you and advised you to quarantine or isolate?
•  Since you were last at school/work, have you had COVID-19 symptoms (fever of 100.4, new loss of taste or smell, etc.)?
•  Since you were last at school/work, have you been diagnosed with COVID19?

People are also asked to provide prompt notification when a household member:

•  Has a confirmed case of COVID-19
•  Has symptoms (fever of 100.4 or higher, new loss of taste or smell, etc.)
•  Is awaiting COVID-19 test results AND is symptomatic.

2.  Masks are strongly recommended by the Board of Education and administration. As the Superintendent, I ask anyone who is comfortable wearing a mask at school to please do so. This could be very important in determining if we can stay open for in-person learning. Without enough precautions many quarantines may occur.

• Bus routes will operate on passable roads. If you are concerned about your specific bus, please check with your school. We thank North Carolina Department of Transportation officials and all of our local partners for the work they have done and will continue to do.
• Central Haywood High School (CHHS) received significant water damage from flooding.  CHHS staff will distribute Chromebooks at the Education Center adjacent to CHHS on Monday, August 23 and Tuesday August 24. Remote learning will begin for CHHS students on Wednesday, August 25.
• In-person learning for CHHS students will be reassessed as recovery develops. We anticipate remote learning for CHHS will last a minimum of nine-weeks and may be necessary for a much longer period of time. CHHS will update students and families as recovery occurs.
• The school system Finance Department and Technology Department have relocated to the current temporary Central Office located in the old Central Elementary School.
• Restoration has begun at Central Haywood High School and Pisgah Memorial Stadium. Thank you so much to all those who have assisted thus far. Both projects may take some time to complete.
• We are appreciative of the many offers of support. If you want to help with monetary support, please contribute to the Haywood County Schools Foundation under Tropical
  Storm Fred Relief. These funds will be used for various supports from feeding restoration workers to purchasing supplies, materials or services related to restoration. At this time, monetary support is better than supplies and materials.
• If you would like to provide hands-on support, please check with Pisgah High School, Tuscola High School, Canton Middle School or other schools that have damage to outside facilities. These and other schools may have volunteer opportunities over the coming days and weeks.
• A Principals’ Meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 20. During the meeting, principals will receive an update and additional recovery actions will be discussed.

Contact: Dr. Bill Nolte, Superintendent