GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras said, despite rising COVID cases, she would not recommend switching back to remote learning unless the governor ordered them to do so.
"You will see classrooms quarantined, and you will see schools that have to close for a period of time, but we are going to do everything in our power to keep the district open," she said.
Contreras said currently, the health department has recommended 242 students and staff quarantine for possible exposure to coronavirus. That's about 0.3 percent of everyone.
"We take a lot of heat for being a little stricter on health protocols, but you can see our health protocols are working. By demanding we wear masks in schools, our schools remain open," Contreras said.
Some parents and staff said the district is having trouble keeping kids three feet apart.
"Certainly, that is true," Contreras said. "The guidance states you should do everything you can to keep kids three feet apart, but you should not preclude students from coming to school because you cannot. While three feet apart is helpful, it is not as helpful as the masking."
Contreras addressed another pandemic problem - those long pick-up and drop-off lines. She said 21,000 families decided not to ride the bus this year, so the extra cars clog up the system.
"That's causing the delays. The personal choices of families are causing the delays," she said.
She said they are working on making the lines more efficient, but the only way to totally solve the issue is for more families to sign up for the bus.
"It's going to be a great school year, and we're going to get through this together because we are GCS," she said.