(Port City Daily photo/file)
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. Ninety-seven staff and students in New Hanover County Schools tested positive for Covid-19 this week, including 20 individuals at Laney High School. One hundred and five people were assigned to quarantine for exposure within the buildings, according to the
Trask Middle, Murray Middle, Murrayville Elementary and New Hanover High are all reporting five or more cases this week.
In emails, spokespeople for NHCS and New Hanover County stated there are no identified clusters at this time. A cluster is confirmed when health officials determine five or more cases are linked by time or proximity, but Kate Oelslager, New Hanover County communications and outreach coordinator, said in an email the Covid-19 cases originated through contacts and events outside of the schools.
On Jan. 24, Roland-Grise Middle School band teacher Peter Michael Frank became the third New Hanover County Schools employee to be arrested on charges of sexual misconduct involving a student since 2018.
Frank, 47, has since been charged with nearly 30 felony counts for crimes that allegedly took place between 1999 and 2019.
The search warrant issued three days after Frank’s arrest allowed law enforcement to obtain his personnel file, which revealed he had been repeatedly counseled by New Hanover County Schools for “inappropriate relationships” with students.
It further stated that Frank allegedly told law enforcement he was attracted to middle-school-aged girls. Searches of his phone and computers allegedly turned up photos of the “clothed-backsides of female students.”
After Brunswick County identified increased Covid-19 activity within several schools, its
When students return from the holiday break, all grade levels will learn remotely through Jan. 19.
This week Brunswick County Schools reported 41 cases among its students and staff members, including 31 cases at Town Creek Elementary and one person at the central services office.
After making close contact with a positive individual, 321 people were directed to quarantine, including 135 staff and students at Town Creek Elementary.
Due to a staffing issue, Town Creek Elementary turned Wednesday into a teacher workday as it simultaneously dealt with the outbreak in the building. On Thursday all grade levels at the school learned remotely, and Friday was the start of the break for all students.