All in Education
Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy was joined by Lenoir County Public Schools Superintendent Brent Williams and Lenoir County Board of Commissioners Chair Linda Rouse Sutton this afternoon at 1:00. They discussed the latest on COVID-19 and its impact on our county and public school system.
JCPS will begin serving breakfast and lunch at all schools sites beginning on Wednesday, March 18th from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. daily.
LCPS will open its "grab-and-go" feeding program Tuesday at five sites around the county for youth 18 and younger.
On Sunday afternoon Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy was joined by guests Senator Jim Perry and Lenoir Community College President Dr. Rusty Hunt for a special Facebook Live segment. They discussed the latest on COVID-19 and its impact on our community. And they fielded a few questions from our Facebook Live audience.
With public schools across the state closing Monday for at least two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Lenoir County Public Schools is pushing out to its students and parents a blend of traditional and digital learning opportunities to help keep the focus on schoolwork while classes are suspended.
From Lenoir County Public Schools Superintendent Brent Williams: As you know, our schools are closed for students for at least the next two weeks. Tomorrow, Monday, March 16, 2020 is a required workday for LCPS staff members. This will be a good opportunity for students and parents to recover any educational or personal items that they may need during the time that our schools are closed. We are asking parents who might need to visit the school to pick up these items to do so between the hours of 2:00 pm and 5:30pm. (Please use this updated time if you were given another time earlier today or yesterday.)
UPDATE: In response to Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order closing all public schools in the state for at least two weeks effective Monday, March 16, LCPS has designated Monday as a required teacher workday. Schools will be open for students and parents to recover any educational or personal items that they may need during the time our schools are closed. Monday also will be an opportunity for parents and students to pick up any school-issued iPads that they might not have already. More information on school access Monday will be provided Sunday afternoon.
ORIGINAL: “Monday, March 16, 2020 has been designated as a statewide teacher and staff workday. In preparation for such a possibility of missed school days related to this crisis, LCPS staff members have been working hard to create a range of online and traditional print-version supplemental resources and activities that will help students remain engaged in learning while the schools are closed. We are working now to complete those plans. Plans will be shared with you as soon as possible on how to access the various learning opportunities during this or even a more extended closure.”
Lenoir Community College and the LCC Passport Office are closed Monday, March 16 through Sunday, March 29. All classes and activities are canceled.
Jones County Public Schools will be closed per Governor Cooper’s mandate now through March 30th. Monday, March 16th will continue to be a Teacher Workday. Students will be allowed to pick up personal items and resources that day. Further details will be forthcoming on Monday after plans can be finalized. Please stay safe and well as we navigate this situation together!
Greene Central High School Principal Patrick Greene shared the following statement this afternoon:
Bethel Christian Academy Principal Doug Phillips released the following statement to Neuse News, “BCA & Daycare will be closed Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. We will begin doing online instruction Monday, March 16. Parents will receive emails on Monday with all the vital information to begin the process.”
Governor Cooper held a press conference on Saturday to announce the closure of public schools for two weeks. Starting Monday, there is no school for students from March 16-30.
Governor Cooper stated, “Today, I am issuing an Executive Order to stop mass gatherings of more than 100 people across our state. As you know we issued this as guidance on Thursday. However, despite this several venues continued their events, so today’s order makes it mandatory. No concert is worth the spread of this pandemic.”
He continued, “This Executive Order has another key component. It directs K-12 public schools across our state to close for students on Monday, March 16 for at least 2 weeks. Several school districts have already made this decision & others are considering closures. Closing schools now will give us time for further understanding of COVID-19 and its effect on the people of our state. I do not make this decision lightly. We know that it will be difficult on many parents and students.”
Bethel Christian Academy continues to work with national, state and local officials regarding the progression and prevention measures of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Currently, experts are NOT recommending that K-12 schools close, but we are constantly receiving and actively seeking information from experts to guide decision making, holding meetings, and staying in contact with all stakeholders. Therefore, BCA and Daycare will REMAIN OPEN on a day-to-day basis.
LCPS is monitoring the coronavirus outbreak and working with local and state public health agencies to develop plans to keep our schools, students and staffs safe. Currently, public health experts do not recommend schools be closed. Keeping our schools open contributes to the stability of the community, helps ensure food security for many of our students and provides a welcomed element of routine at a time when disruption seems to be the norm. Those advantages, however, are secondary to our commitment to school safety and our obligation to help stem the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Because the situation with coronavirus is evolving, LCPS plans and procedures will evolve. These are current directives as of March 13.
Lenoir Community College’s top priority is protecting the health of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The LCC Emergency Operations Planning Team has been active since the beginning of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. At this time, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus on Lenoir Community College campuses. However, based upon our discussions with local and state health officials, executive leadership in the North Carolina Community College System, and guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, we are now implementing the following additional proactive and precautionary measures to reduce the spread of the disease, effective Monday, March 16, 2020.
As news continues to spread around the United States about the Coronavirus and the recent State of Emergency issued on Tuesday by Governor Roy Cooper, Jones County Schools is continuing to monitor information from federal, state, and local health officials. We want to assure the public that the district is being proactive in efforts to help prevent the spread of illness among our students and staff.
According to Dr. Bert Bright, Arendell Parrott Academy will be moving to online instruction starting Monday, March 16 for two weeks. All on-campus activities are canceled during this time.
Conceding the challenges of the jobs that each of them do in trying to move the county forward, leaders of Lenoir County Public Schools, Lenoir County commissioners and the county’s two members of the N.C. General Assembly touted the benefits of cooperation during LCPS’s 2020 Legislative Breakfast on Monday.
Two Lenoir Community College Graphic Arts & Imaging Technology (GAIT) students, Samuel Jarman of Trenton and Chandler Patrick of Goldsboro, were recently awarded a scholarship from the Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA).
Stephanie Harrel’s third grant in six years from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund will bring a new generation of 3D printers to her STEM lab at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School.
