Wake, Durham schools create outdoor lunch spaces as Delta variant spreads

Two days after the start of the traditional school year in Wake County, 140 coronavirus cases have been reported in the school district.

The school system has prioritized in-person learning paired with COVID safety measures in the 2021-22 school year.

"This is happening because people infected with the Delta variant are more contagious than last year," the school district wrote in an email update to families on Wednesday.

The plan for testing, which is not final, would allow student-athletes, teachers and staff who provide proof of vaccination to skip regular testing. The school board is expected to debate the idea at its next meeting on Sept. 7.

Effective immediately, system administrators are instructing schools to identify outdoor eating options for students. Because the coronavirus spreads through the air, being outdoors is believed to be safer, especially for people who have their masks off to eat or drink.

"If you lift the mask restriction when students gather ... then the number of students that have to quarantine go up," said Wake County Board of Education member Dr. Jim Martin.

Durham is enacting similar measures. Parents at Forestview Elementary have already installed tents outside for students to spread out at lunch.

The district is taking action to provide outdoor options at all schools. On Thursday, Durham Public Schools will review their plans to order a dozen picnic tables for each school.

They’re also in the midst of a long-term plan to improve air quality. All air units and coils have all been cleaned and filters changed.

The district said the filters have a higher standard that takes virus out of the air.

Next week in Wake County, schools that have an identified COVID-19 cluster will be required to monitor and report on how students, teachers and staff are complying with mask mandates.

"I think it needs to be a little bit tighter and to not wait until we have a cluster," said Martin.

Back-to-school: What to know about masks, free meals, bus routes and more

In addition to a regular testing program for the unvaccinated – which would include all elementary and many middle school students, since those under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine – the school board will consider a mask requirement to be enforced both indoors and outdoors on all school properties, including during recess and extracurricular activities. As of Wednesday, 25 North Carolina school systems, mostly in the far eastern and western parts of the state, had no mask mandate, even indoors.

"According to current state health guidance, a student without a face covering is considered a close contact to an infected individual even if that exposure occurs outside," the note to parents read. "Scheduled 'mask breaks' would be needed under this option."

The message concluded, "We appreciate this is not the start to a new school year that many envisioned or anyone wanted. However, we are confident that full compliance and stricter measures will allow students to participate in the types of school activities that would otherwise be jeopardized by the Delta variant of COVID-19."

Despite these new guidelines, some parents said they still wouldn't feel comfortable with in-person learning.

"Younger children cannot get vaccinated. I just don't think masks are enough to to protect them right now," said parent Amy Kohn.

While parents said they want Wake's Virtual Academy to be reopened, Martin said right now, it's just not a viable option.

"Unless we can manufacture a much greater teaching labor force and funding to support it, I don't see that being possible," he said.

Still, parents remain upset with the lack of options.

"I don't know what the answer for that is," said Kohn. "I just know there are a lot of parents that are really frustrated right now because we don't feel safe sending our children back to school."

The Wake County Board of Education will discuss the mask changes and regular testing during the Sept. 7 meeting.