Coronavirus

School closure extended to May 15: 

On Monday, March 23, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that the closure of all public K-12 schools in the state would be extended to at least May 15. We will continue to operate our remote learning program and will continue to distribute meals as long as our school buildings are closed. We will update all information as it changes at www.wataugaschools.org/coronavirus.

Laptop and personal belonging pickup:

Parents will have the opportunity to visit schools to pick up your child’s belongings and to check out a laptop computer. Laptops, if needed, are available for check out for any students in grades 3-7. Students in grades 8-12 should already have their school issued laptops.  

Parents may visit schools on the following schedule:

Wednesday, March 18

8th graders: from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. 

7th graders: from 10:30 a.m until 12:30 p.m. 

6th graders: from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 19

5th graders: from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. 

4th graders: from 10:30 a.m until 12:30 p.m. 

3th graders: from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Friday, March 20

2nd graders: from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. 

1st graders: from 10:30 a.m until 12:30 p.m. 

Kindergarteners and Pre-K:  from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Make up session: Friday, March 20 from 3 p.m until 6 p.m. for all grade levels

Just like our food distribution, this will be conducted in a drive through method. Parents will be greeted at their cars and will wait for a staff member to assist them. Parents with multiple school age children should come at the time assigned for the oldest child.

Our buildings remain closed to the public so parents and children will not be permitted into the building.  We ask that no one who is sick or in a high risk category visit the school.

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By order of North Carolina State Health Officials and Governor Roy Cooper, Watauga County Schools will be closed for at least two weeks beginning Monday, March 16.

School Superintendent Scott Elliott will issue further guidance prior to Monday about expectations for staff and access to school facilities for students. An opportunity will be made for students and staff to access the school buildings in order to collect personal items and resources. Additional information will be sent to school staff via email by Sunday evening.

Please continue to check the school system’s resource page at Wataugaschools.org/coronavirus for the most up to date information.

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CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and now with this new virus (named SARS-CoV-2).

As Coronavirus progresses, Watauga County Schools is working closely with officials from AppHealthCare and monitoring information from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). We are closely monitoring updates, as guidance is changing frequently due to local and global developments.