Mitchell County Board of Education Chairman Message

Mitchell County Board of Education has listened to the guidance from Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit (NCDHHS), Toe River Health Department as well as legal counsel from Campbell and Shatley, PLLC with great interest since the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. As many conversations around the pandemic have become political in nature, our board has desired to not let our schools become a political pawn. Unfortunately, any decision we make can be presented or interpreted with a political agenda. Our sincerest desire has been and continues to be the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our students, faculty and staff.

At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, we followed the guidance of the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit by strongly recommending students, faculty and staff wear mask indoors. Our board values freedom and the ability for individuals to evaluate their own risk comfort level while respecting the freedom of others that may disagree with one’s choice. We have been in continuous communication with the Mitchell County Schools Superintendent to understand the impact of COVID-19 on each of our schools within the district. We have monitored neighboring school districts both in our state and in Tennessee. We have seen similar districts with mask mandates and higher COVID-19 positives per student population than Mitchell County Schools.

Mitchell County Board of Education is requiring mask when indoors and unable to social distance (6 feet or more) for all faculty and staff unless religious or medical exempt. Mask will be required for all students unless a parent/guardian completes and opt-out form. We will continue to follow the direction of the Toe River Health Department exposure guidelines. We have and will continue to recognize the quarantine timelines as established by the Toe River Health Department for any faculty, staff or student exposed to, or tested positive for COVID-19. We understand the challenges of navigating this turbulent time as students, faculty and staff are only at school for approximately twenty to twenty-five percent of their week and may be exposed to COVID-19 through travel, activities outside of school and personal choices.

Mitchell County Board of Education continues to have the following goals:

1.       Decrease the number of students, faculty and staff quarantined
2.       Make sure students are complying with parent/guardian wishes during school hours
3.       Face to face instruction
4.       Support the freedom of parents/guardians to choose

Respectfully,

Brandon Pitman
Chair, Board of Education
Mitchell County Schools