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Clay County Schools will soon offer its own daycare option for teachers and other parents within the community. The program is a result of Clay County Board of Education's approval of a partnership between the school system and Southwestern Child Development Commission during the Monday, April 26 meeting.
The partnership creates a public daycare at Hayesville Primary School. During a March board meeting, Cole said the program will consist of 36 spots, with 17 set aside for staff members of the school system. "It's a great recruitment tool and we have a hard time recruiting folks in Clay County," Cole said on Monday. "It provides the public with another daycare option and it provides an option for our staff ." Lorrie Ross represented Mountain Projects and informed the board about Hope4NC.
The organization provides "24/7 support and resources" for area families. "The main thing we're trying to do is let people know why you might want to call this number," Ross said. "If you call, there's a mental health counselor on the other end that can help you or send you to resources in the area." Hope4NC can be reached at (855) 587-3463.
Ross also discussed the Hope4Healers Helpline (919) 226-2002, which provides mental health and resilience support for healthcare professionals, emergency medical specialists, first responders, other staff who work in healthcare settings and their families throughout the state who are experiencing stress from being on the front lines of the state's fight against COVID-19. Cole provided an update on the 2021 Summer Learning Program required by North Carolina state law. The program is designed to close achievement gaps created from the pandemic by providing more instructional time. It must consist of 30 days or 150 hours.
The top priority is face-to-face instruction for high-risk students, which is defined by Clay County Schools as students in jeopardy of being retained in a grade. The first half of classes are set for June 14 to July 2, then a week of break followed by the second half of classes from July 12-30. Classes are held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m and bus transportation will be provided, along with free breakfast and lunch meals. The board approved changes to the school system's COVID-19 quarantine protocols.
The 14-day quarantine period was shortened to 10 days based on the recommendations of Clay County Health Department, while full-class quarantines will be replaced by quarantines for students within six feet of an active positive case for 15 cumulative minutes. Since August, 1,100 students and 128 staff members have been quarantined due to an exposure to a positive. Forty-eight students and 18 staff members have tested positive during that time. Clay County Schools nurse Joanna Atkinson said there have been no documented cases of transmission at school. The board recognized Hayesville Middle School teacher Ginger Scerri for receiving the 2021 Go Global Clay County School Teacher Scholarship. Scerri will travel to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in summer 2022.
"I'm so excited about the opportunity," Scerri said. "I teach all the ancient studies, origins of human settlements around the world. I'm traveling to a place that is the birthplace of a lot of that, so I'm thrilled to experience all of that and bring it back to my kids." Cole announced that a "Charters of Freedom Dedication Ceremony" will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the football stadium.
The ceremony will be open to the public. The Charters of Freedom features a monument installed near the concession stand and includes a cavity for a time capsule. Cole conducted a first read through portions of the language in Clay County Schools' five-year strategic plan.