COVID Spread Sends Entire Middle School To Virtual Learning

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — All students in grades 6, 7 and 8 at Third Creek Middle School will attend school virtually this week due to spread of COVID-19 among students, Iredell-Statesville Schools announced.

"There are currently seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 at TCMS," school district spokesperson Dr. Boen Nutting, said in a statement. "Four of those cases are directly related to secondary spread at school, and all grades are impacted."

As of May 14, more than 130 students, representing about 27 percent of the student body, were deemed to have been a close contact and were quarantined at home, Nutting said.

Students will return to school Monday, May 24.

Iredell County Health Department Director Jane Hinson said she supported the decision as an attempt to stop the continued spread of COVID-19 at the middle school.

"Closure will also give the district time to thoroughly clean and sanitize the school," Hinson said.

In recent weeks, the number of students testing positive for COVID-19 in Iredell-Statesville Schools in a week has increased. As of May 14, at least 25 students had tested positive in the school district, up from 18 reported April 30.

As of Friday, May 14, positive cases of COVID-19 were reported at the following ISS schools:

• Celeste Henkel Elementary
• Central Elementary
• Cool Spring Elementary
• East Iredell Elementary
• The Brawley School
• East Iredell Middle
• Third Creek Middle
• Troutman Middle
• West Iredell Middle
• Woodland Heights Middle
• CATS
• Lake Norman High School
• South Iredell High School
• Statesville High
• North Iredell High