Harnett teachers test positive for coronavirus days before classes resume

One of the teachers works at Johnsonville Elementary School in Cameron, and the other at LaFayette Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina.

Harnett County Schools is one of only a few districts in central North Carolina attempting a mix of in-person and online instruction when the new school year starts Monday. Most other districts are starting the year with all online classes to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Elementary and middle school students don't return to Harnett County classrooms until Aug. 24, however, while high school students get back in class on Aug. 31. Students in each school are divided into two groups, with one in school Mondays and Tuesdays and the other Thursdays and Fridays. Students learn online for the three days they're not at school.

Wednesdays are reserved for extensive cleaning of each school.

Both of the infected teachers are in quarantine, but they were at their respective schools on Wednesday, when teachers across the district returned to school to prepare for the new year. A district spokeswoman declined to say whether any other teachers are in isolation after coming into contact with the two teachers.

"We are following our safety procedures outlined in our HCS Reopening Guide. The district continues to plan on the current instructional schedule," spokeswoman Natalie Tucker Ferrell said in an email.

Still, the school board plans to meet Monday morning, when it could discuss whether plans to bring students back should change.