The COVID-19 pandemic has changed virtually every aspect of our lives, and placed a heavy burden on our students, families and staff. This page is designed to provide the most current information and resources our families may need to navigate these very difficult and changing times.

Recommendation for Safe Return to School by Interim Superintendent Tricia McManus

November 17, 2020 - In a regularly scheduled meeting, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted to pause the district’s phased re-entry plan for students in grades 2 through 12. Based on recommendations by Interim Superintendent Tricia McManus, the board voted to bring students not currently in classrooms, back to classrooms in January.

Grades 2, 3 and 6 will return January 11. Grades 4, 5, 7 and 8 return the week of January 18. The first high school cohort will return January 21. Students currently in school, Pre-K through 1, EC, ESL Academy and OCS students, will continue with in-person instruction as scheduled. The board also committed to continue monitoring COVID-19 metrics and revisit the phased re-entry plan, if necessary or state guidance suggests otherwise.

Together with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health, our teams are monitoring community data. The dashboard below reflects reports made on and after 11/2/20. It does not account for cases reported before 11/2/20.  Starting 11/2/20, it will be updated by 5pm each weekday (excluding holidays). The weekend data will be reflected on Mondays and the holiday data will be reflected on the first day the district is open after the holiday. This dashboard shows the number of reported COVID-19 cases among WS/FCS students, faculty, and staff that have impacted a school or district office location. Reported cases are to remain isolated until medically released by Public Health Officials. The dashboard is best viewed in Chrome or Firefox browsers.

Meal Service Updates

THE MONTHLY MEAL ORDER FORM can be found at bit.ly/MealBundle

We have important updates regarding meal service, which is available to all WS/FCS students.

Students returning to in-person learning at school will have free breakfast and free lunch available to them. On remote learning days, (and for any student learning remotely) students will have access to free meals by completing the new Monthly Meal Order Form. 

The first Monthly Meal Order Form must be completed by Monday, November 16 in order to serve students with a 7-day meal bundle during the week of November 23 when all students will be learning remotely and also enjoying time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. In addition to Thanksgiving week, the Monthly Meal Order Form also serves as an order form for the weeks of November 30, December 7, and December 14. 

The Monthly Meal Order Form is easy to complete – you will need to include your student’s name, grade and school along with the weeks that you would like meals and the preferred pick-up site that you want to use.

Starting this week, all meal pick-up sites have moved to our high school locations. 
Meal pick up times have also changed. Pick-up times are now Monday from 4:30pm-6:30pm and Wednesday from 11am-1pm. 

Pick-up locations are listed below:

• Atkins High School
• Carver High School
• East Forsyth High School
• Glenn High School
• Mount Tabor High School
• North Forsyth High School
• Parkland High School
• Reagan High School
• Walkertown High School
• West Forsyth High School

You will not be able to pick up meals at other locations.

For families who utilize our mobile meal delivery routes, those are being reduced as we transition from using school buses to other district vehicles for this delivery service. 

Please visit the Child Nutrition page of the district website (https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Domain/18) or call the Child Nutrition office at (336) 703-4275 to find the new location closest to you as well as other information regarding meal sites and the Monthly Meal Order Form.

THE MONTHLY MEAL ORDER FORM can be found at bit.ly/MealBundle

Our Safe Return: Educational Video Series

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, students who prefer to continue learning remotely from their current school can do so using new technology that is being installed in every classroom. This option is also available for high school students as we move into second semester. Students who want to continue remote learning with their current class will need to coordinate with their individual schools.

Students and families will experience several additional safety precautions with our return to school. Prior to a student stepping onto a school bus, he or she will be required to provide a quarterly form signed by a guardian attesting that the student has not had COVID-19 symptoms. Once bus riders arrive at school, just like students who walk to school or are car riders, they will be required to go through the daily screening process.

All students, teachers and staff will be required to wear face coverings on school property at all times. Signage will guide students and staff in maintaining physical distance in common areas such as entrances, hallways, etc. Classrooms have been reorganized so desks are appropriately distanced and cafeteria meals will be distributed individually and eaten in classrooms. Hand sanitizer will be available and used throughout the day, and students and staff will observe hand washing.

Throughout and after the school day, we will conduct extensive cleaning and on Wednesday’s and Friday evenings, janitorial teams will conduct deeper cleanings.

Schools also will have dedicated holding rooms should an individual begin to feel ill or develop symptoms during the school day. That individual will be monitored away from others (under supervision) until a guardian can take them home.

There will be a COVID-19 Informational Dashboard on the WS/FCS website to keep families, staff and the community informed regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases and numbers of individuals in quarantine for our district. The data will be tracked by school, and the dashboard will be updated weekly by the Forsyth County Department of Public Health.

When a school has a confirmed COVID-19 case, we will follow Forsyth County Department of Public Health protocols for contact tracing, and those involved in that process will be notified accordingly. Working together with the Dept. of Public Health, we will reach those specific students and staff who’ve been identified as having been in contact with an individual testing positive for COVID-19 so they can follow the appropriate testing and quarantine procedures.

We will handle each situation of confirmed COVID-19 cases on an individual school basis in determining the appropriate action and messaging.

Cloth face coverings have been shown to limit the transmission of COVID-19 and are required for all students, staff, and visitors. Cloth face coverings (should have at least 2 layers) must fit snugly against the sides of your face, over your nose and mouth, and under your chin. Based on guidance from the CDC, masks with exhalation valves or vents are not effective and should not be worn because they allow virus particles to escape.

Phased School Reopening Plan Underway

At the state level and here at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, we are working hard on a transition to in-person learning. On September 17, our COVID-19 Committee was presented with a preliminary proposed plan. On October 1, the Board of Education called a special meeting to discuss the final phased re-entry plan which includes bringing some students back as soon as October 5 and then carefully builds to include all grades by the start of second semester.

The proposed re-entry plan is a hybrid of in-person and continued remote learning. In the plan, students would not attend school every day and schedules would be based on grade and school. This hybrid model enables us to maintain 50% capacity in our schools for safety and social distancing.

 

Read more about how WS/FCS will handle positive COVID-19 cases and keep you informed as we safely return to school.

Mobile Classrooms / WiFi Hotspots

For students who do not have reliable access to the internet, WS/FCS is using school buses to bring the internet to them. We currently have a number of mobile hotspot locations where buses equipped with WiFi will enable children to connect to participate in virtual learning.

WiFi extends up to 100 yards on each side of the buses. At present, plans are for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to deploy a total of 20 buses with WiFi connectivity to areas identified as having a high number of students needing connectivity support.

Current WiFi Hotspot locations:

• Wynnfield Court Apartments Kernersville
• Woodlawn Apts on Weatherwood Ct (Upper and Lower) 2 buses
• Birchwood Apts on Weatherwood Ct
• Colony Apts on Brownsboro Rd
• Skyline Village on Timlic Ave
• Skyline Village Bruce St
• Rolling Hills on Ferrell Ct
• Oldtown View Apts on Yarborough Ave
• Salem Gardens (Salem Gardens Dr)
• Willow Creek Apts. Stagecoach Rd (Stanleyville)