Harnett County schools open classrooms full-time despite spike in quarantine cases

This report comes just days after the school board passed a resolution calling on the governor to open schools without restrictions.

The October 8 dashboard showed 114 quarantines across the school system – up from 51 just three days earlier.

It also reports 15 positive COVID cases among students and employees across the county.

Even with the reported spike in quarantine cases, school leaders plan to stay the course.

Harnett County Schools reopened campuses to students on September 28, giving them a mix of in-person and online learning. About half of the district's 20,000 students opted to go back to the classroom – the other half remained all virtual.

However, some parents and school employees don't like what they see in the numbers.

Shayna Chew, who has three students in Harnett County schools, is concerned about her 5-year-old son Caleb Byrd.

Caleb is trying to get into the swing of things in kindergarten.

His school, Lillington Shawtown Elementary, is right across the street from his house. He currently goes to class on Mondays and Tuesdays; the rest of the week is spent in online learning.

"My school is super different because I have to wear a mask to go to school," said Caleb.

Due to the increasing numbers, she's having second thoughts about sending her children back to classes.

"Yeah, it has made me nervous. I was reconsidering sending my 5-year-old back," she said.

School board chairman Eddie Jaggers said these quarantines are not linked to any positive COVID cases at schools – they are students and employees who were exposed off campus.

He said any student registered to a school who is quarantined, even if that student is learning remotely, is reported on the dashboard.

Jaggers said, "When you look at those numbers, right now it does not send off alarms on us yet."

Beginning October 26, the school system plans to allow elementary school students to be in class Monday through Friday.

School leaders said they will continue proper cleaning and sanitation measures.