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'It's extremely stressful' | Trinity High School moves to remote learning after two positive coronavirus cases on school's campus

Randolph County superintendent Dr. Stephen Gainey said each person who may have been exposed was called by the school’s administration Sunday afternoon.

TRINITY, N.C. — Trinity High School announced Monday it has moved to remote learning until Sept. 13, according to the Randolph County School System.

According to officials, the move comes after two positive coronavirus cases were reported on campus since last Monday.

Randolph County Health Director Susan Hayes said the first positive case was found early last week and the second case was found late in the week due to a test result delay.

"All students at Trinity High School will engage in classes through remote learning from Monday to Sept. 13,” said Randolph County superintendent Dr. Stephen Gainey. “Face-to-face instruction will continue on Trinity High School’s campus for Group A students Sept. 14.”

Gainey said face-to-face instruction will continue on Trinity High School’s campus for Group B students on Sept. 17.

“My staff and I have worked closely with Susan Hayes, director of Randolph County Public Health, on Sunday afternoon to address this situation,” Gainey said.

Gainey said each person who may have been exposed was called by the school’s administration Sunday afternoon.

"It's extremely stressful in an already stressful situation," Shannon Bullion said. Her daughter is a senior at Trinity High who may decide not to return to in-person learning.

"She said it's just too much back and forth. Keeping up with doing things remotely and when they're in class they're actually turning in their assignments electronically so they're just physically present," Bullion said.

Bullion said the closure just adds more uncertainty to a complicated school year.

"My oldest one's possibly been exposed but let my youngest one just go back to school. It just doesn't make any sense to me," Bullion said.

WFMY News 2 asked Randolph County School System why only Trinity High School was closed as a result of this positive case.

District spokesperson Tim Moody said via email that the facts of each exposure determine the district's response.

"Per Randolph County Public Health, the sibling of a person exposed to a case is not considered an exposure," Moody said.

According to Hayes, the health department is helping with contact tracing and is consulting with the district as to how to move forward.

Hayes said they support the decisions the district has made so far.

Gainey said Trinity High School’s principal sent a phone message to each student's home Sunday evening to alert parents to the change.

The superintendent said an email was sent to all Trinity High School staff Sunday afternoon to share the information with them as well.

This is the fourth exposure at a Randolph County school since the start of the 2020-2021 academic year. There have also been cases at Providence Grove High and Southwestern Randolph Middle Schools.

Exposed students and teachers were told not to come to campus and began 14 days of remote learning.

Moody said the other 30 schools in the district are operating normally with in-person classes.

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FACTS NOT FEAR

Remember facts, not fear when talking about the coronavirus. You should take the safety measures recommended by health leaders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Abide by the three W's. That means wearing a mask, washing your hands, and waiting at least six feet from another person. You also want to avoid touching your face and make sure to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw it away.

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