Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 88.5 WHYC Swan Quarter 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Some Eastern NC school districts going remote or closing due to COVID-19, staff shortages

Three school districts in Eastern North Carolina who kept a mask optional policy indoors as the Spring semester started have moved to remote learning or canceled classes due to COVID-19 concern and staffing shortages. PRE’s Meredith Radford has more. 

Carteret County schools will move to remote learning on Tuesday, Jan 18 and Wednesday, Jan. 19 in the interest of student and staff safety, according to their website. On Friday, the county reported a positive test rate of 21% with 459 active cases and reported three additional COVID-19 deaths.  

The Beaufort County school board met last week and voted to close school from Friday through Tuesday, Jan. 18 due to staffing shortages. Onslow County schools also moved PreK through 8th grades to remote learning on Friday due to staffing issues. In the latest report last week, Onslow County’s positive test rate had increased to 29%. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported Beaufort County’s positive test rate as 28% as of Friday. 

All three district’s school boards voted this month to keep their mask policy optional.  

Schools aren’t in session Monday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.  

For Public Radio East, I’m Meredith Radford. 

Related Content