In just a few days, Clay County Schools will be back in session, but the Aug. 17 first day of school will look different.
With most students attending on a rotating schedule between virtual classes and in person, classrooms and halls will be emptier. In addition, students who are present will be wearing masks most of the time.
According to Clay County School Superintendent Dale Cole, these are student enrollment numbers as of Tuesday, Aug. 11. There are 1,223 without Pre-K; 1,295 with a Pre-K.
Hayesville Elementary has 241 students enrolled, with 54 of those or 22 percent enrolled only as remote.
Hayesville Primary School, grades kindergarten through second will have 279 students, with 54 of them working remotely, which is 19 percent.
Hayesville Middle School has 300 students enrolled with 57 of them strictly remote. That’s also 19 percent.
There are 403 students enrolled at Hayesville High School, with three pending enrollments — 111 or 28 percent of them plan to work exclusively remotely. About 36 percent will attend in person Mondays and Tuesdays and 36 percent will attend in person Thursdays and Fridays.
When schools starts, students will attend the same three schools as they have for many years: Hayesville Elementary School, Middle School and High School. The new Hayesville Primary School being built is not quite ready for move in. Cole said that school should be finished by Sept. 28.
“We will then need a couple of weeks to have community days for tours before we move teachers in,” he said. “I’m thinking we will have classes in there by Oct. 15.”
When asked what to expect for the school year, Cole replied, “We ask parents to continue to partner with us at home, as well as support and follow our procedures at school. We want our students to have the option of face to face classes as much as possible and that means we need to follow the state requirements at all times.”
There are also guidelines about student drop off. First, no students should be dropped off prior to 7:30 a.m. “Staff does not report until 7:30 a.m.,” Cole said. “We ask that parents do not drop students off at the cafeteria anymore due to students having breakfast brought to their classrooms. Parents are required to drop students off only at the designated parents drop off areas at each school so that we can check temperatures properly and efficiently.
“Last, we ask everyone to show patience and grace with one another. We all want what is best for our children. The only way to make that happen is to constantly communicate," Cole said. "If we do that, we can find a way to make school work for every child regardless of their circumstances. The CCS Team thanks the entire community for its support of our schools.”