‘It is evident that Jesus is present in our schools’
19 Catholic schools now open across the diocese
CHARLOTTE — Nearly one month into the school year, students and teachers are settling into new routines and health protocols as they attend in-person classes, and no COVID-19 “clusters” have been reported at any of the Diocese of Charlotte’s 19 schools.
Seventeen of the 19 schools opened Aug. 31, and the remaining two opened Sept. 8 – that’s later than the usual mid-August start date, but the extra time enabled school staffs to practice extensive protective measures to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 on campus.
Teachers and administrators spent weeks leading up to the opening of schools training in new diocesan-wide safety, cleaning and sanitation protocols before welcoming students back to campus.
All Catholic schools in the diocese are following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the safest possible learning environment – including health screenings, frequent cleaning and handwashing, face coverings, social distancing, protective barriers and other measures to keep students and staff healthy and safe.
A diocesan taskforce worked with public health officials through the summer to compile extensive guidelines that were then tailored to each school’s specific circumstances and needs.
Crystal Koury, the diocese’s assistant superintendent of schools who chaired the taskforce, emphasized, “The health and safety of our staff and students is of top priority.”
In addition to the health measures, each school is now keeping records of class schedules and seating charts to enable contact tracing whenever someone is possibly exposed to the coronavirus, Koury said.
“Communications to notify community members regarding a positive case and quarantine procedures for potentially exposed ensuring a smooth transition to remote learning are readily available,” she said. “For the few times we have had to employ these procedures, the schools have been responsive and the transitions have been effective.”
These procedures were most recently triggered earlier this month, when Charlotte Catholic High School shifted to at-home learning Sept. 16-18 after four unrelated cases of COVID-19 were traced to off-campus exposure.
A number of students and staff had to self-isolate, so in consultation with the Mecklenburg County Health Department the school moved all students to virtual learning while the school received an additional deep cleaning and its safety protocols were reviewed.
The school reopened using a split schedule Sept. 21-25, and is expected to resume in-person instruction Sept. 28 after health department officials praised the school’s extensive response measures.
The diocese’s new superintendent of schools, Dr. Greg Monroe, Koury and fellow Assistant Superintendent Debbie Mixer have spent time this month visiting every school during the opening weeks of the fall semester, seeing first-hand how each school is balancing in-person instruction with the health measures in place.
“I am grateful for the leadership and hard work of our return to campus task team and our school leadership, faculty and staff who worked for months to prepare our schools to be safe environments for face-to-face instruction,” Monroe said. “We recognize that our parents and parental figures are the first and primary educators of their children, so we also appreciate their collaboration in ensuring that our schools were able to open successfully across the state.”
Said Mixer, “As I walk through the halls of our schools and see the excitement and joy on the faces of the students and teachers, it reaffirms the conviction that students are best served with in-person instruction. It is evident that Jesus is present in our schools.”
Cosinda Gillison, a pre-kindergarten instructor at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, witnesses the boundless energy and joy in her students every day.
“Students are bouncing their way down the halls into the classroom ready to learn more each day. They are full of energy and of course ready to begin the day,” Gillison said.
Her class size is smaller this year but Gillison manages to keep her students busy learning and playing. Her students, she said, have adapted to the health measures pretty smoothly. “This generation is definitely able to adjust and cope with the changes of society,” she said.
Principal Allana-Rae Ramkissoon noted, “At OLA we feel like we’ve started out the year from a position of strength, largely due to the protocols and plans put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our success is also bolstered by the fact that the students were very eager to return to the classroom, with a renewed commitment to in-person learning.”
“Does it feel different? Of course it does,” Ramkissoon said. “We miss some of the norms and conventions stripped away by social distancing. Is it challenging to teach both face-to-face as well as serve our remote learners in the same day? Absolutely. However, there’s nowhere else we would rather be. It is great to be back home – on holy ground.”
Dr. Carl Semmler, principal of Christ the King High School in Huntersville, appreciates the hard work that has gone into welcoming students back to campus.
“The opening of Christ the King under an in-person educational model was a truly grace-filled moment,” Semmler said. “Everything has gone smoothly. It is clear to me that this could not have happened without the unbelievably hard work on the part of the faculty and staff. We are indebted to them for their courage and dedication to our young people.”
Over the past three weeks, he noted, students’ initial anxiety has melted away and transformed into a sense of joy and camaraderie.
“What a fantastic thing it is to see young people become fully alive again, by being with their friends and teachers. This fall represents what the Catholic Church looks like at its best. When we draw upon our faith to confront fear with hope and become a light in the darkness, you can be sure that we are fulfilling our baptismal promises.”
“I have always been proud to be a Catholic educator, but this year I am walking with an extra boost in my step,” he said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Pictured above: Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools, speaks to students Sept. 15 at Immaculata School in Hendersonville. All 19 Catholic schools in the diocese are now open for in-person instruction with extensive health protocols in place. (Photo provided by Catholic Schools Office)
Response to four unrelated COVID-19 cases contracted off campus
CHARLOTTE —Charlotte Catholic High School has shifted to at-home learning for the rest of this week, after consulting with local health officials in the wake of four unrelated cases of COVID-19 that were contracted off campus.
In a letter to parents Tuesday, Principal Kurt Telford said, “While we are confident in the safety measures we have in place at Charlotte Catholic, we have decided to take these extra precautions because nothing is more important than the health and wellbeing of our students, staff and families.”
Students were dismissed early Tuesday afternoon after picking up materials and instructions from their teachers to transition to prearranged remote learning plans.
CCHS received reports starting Sept. 7 that four members of the school community tested positive after separate incidents of off-campus exposure to COVID-19. In each case, Telford said, school leaders worked with the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools’ nursing director to identify students and staff who could have come into contact with the infected individuals, and they were directed to self-isolate to prevent any potential spread at school. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control defines exposure as being within close contact (less than 6 feet) of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more.
The four positive cases represent 0.3% of the high school’s population of approximately 1,200 students. Both the health department and the school said the four cases did not meet the definition of a “cluster” – which state health officials define as at least five cases within two weeks that are linked and traced to the same location.
Telford said school officials chose to move to remote learning for the rest of this week in collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Health Department “to provide an added layer of protection so that any possible additional contacts can be identified.”
CCHS will use the time this week for further contact tracing and to monitor for any possible new cases. The school building will also receive an additional deep cleaning according to recommended protocols, Telford said.
Afterschool activities have also been canceled for the rest of the week, the school announced.
CHHS is prepared to return to limited in-person instruction as early as Monday, using a hybrid A/B schedule, with the goal of a full return to campus as soon as appropriate, Telford told the Catholic News Herald. Friday, Sept. 25, has already been set aside as a teacher work day, so there will be no classes that day.
CCHS opened for in-person instruction Aug. 31 with extensive safety protocols that include daily health screenings, frequent cleaning and handwashing, face coverings, safe distancing, protective barriers and other measures to keep students and staff healthy and safe. The measures are based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We believe, and research shows, in-person learning is best for students’ academic, social, emotional and spiritual growth,” he said. “We will continue to work closely with health officials to ensure our risk mitigation strategies are reasonable and practical while prioritizing safety as well as in-person instruction in accordance with our school’s religious and academic mission.”
In his letter to parents, Telford said, “We will keep you informed if our plans need to change based on new information or further recommendations from public health officials. As always, we appreciate your trust in our proven risk mitigation strategies, and value your collaboration in ensuring that our students are mitigating risk where possible outside of school.”
— Catholic News Herald