COVID-19: Mooresville, Iredell Schools Make Closure Decision

MOORESVILLE, NC — Students of Mooresville Graded Schools and Iredell-Stateville Schools, who have been on spring break holiday this week, will have another week out of class, according to school officials. The news comes as a growing number of North Carolina school districts have announced long-term closures amid growing concern over the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Mooresville Graded Schools said the weeklong holiday extension will allow school officials to continue to monitor the evolving situation and plan for possible alternate means of instruction should schools need to stay closed longer.

"Rest assured, if the situation warrants our district closing school beyond March 23, we will move to alternate means of instruction," MGSD said in a statement Friday.

For students who rely on school meals, MGSD will have breakfast and lunches available for pickup free of charge at South Elementary School for all district students. All school activities, field trips and school functions have been postponed for the foreseeable future.

“Iredell-Statesville Schools have just completed a week of spring break, with hundreds of students and adults traveling across the country and the world,” ISS said Friday evening. “Out of an abundance of caution, Iredell-Statesville Schools will extend Spring Break for all students through March 20, 2020.”

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ISS urged students and staff to consider self-quarantine for 14 days, depending upon their recent travel history.

The week of March 16 will be considered an option teacher workday, the school district said.

“During that week, staff will prepare for a possible prolonged period of remote learning, social distancing strategies, community based meal delivery for qualified students, and further deep cleaning protocol,” ISS said.

Globally, more than 137,000 people have been infected and at least 5,088 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Friday afternoon. Of that total, nearly 1,300 cases have been confirmed in the United States.

As of Friday afternoon, there were 15 confirmed or presumed positive cases of the new coronavirus in seven counties around North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Those counties include: Mecklenburg, Cabbarus, Forsyth, Durham, Chatham, Wake and Johnston.

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