A Wayne County Public Schools Maintenance Department employee has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been in contact with Central Office staff and other members of the Maintenance Department before he became aware he had the virus, according to several people who either know or work with him.
And because of what they described as the district’s new sign-in protocol, multiple Maintenance Department staff members, who have been vetted and verified as WCPS employees by the New Old North, said they are concerned about their ability to work moving forward.
“The results came back (Monday), and it was positive. Now, 60 guys who have worked around him are curious as to what will happen next,” said one employee, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. “For the past two weeks, we have had to say (by signing in electronically) that we haven’t been around anyone who has COVID-19 for the past 14 days. Just how are we to do this? It would be a lie for us to just clock in so that we could get paid.”
The district declined to confirm the positive test — even when given the opportunity to avoid identifying the employee — citing privacy laws.
But last week, the Wayne County government notified the community when an individual inside the Wayne County Courthouse tested positive for COVID-19 — and disclosed that as a “proactive measure,” the Clerk of Court office would be closed, and the entire courthouse was being “completely sanitized.”
The New Old North posed several questions to district officials about their policy on reporting positive tests to the community and what steps WCPS will be taking to make sure schools are properly sanitized.
WCPS schools on the non-traditional calendar are set to open to teachers Thursday, with students returning Aug. 12. Traditional calendar schools open to teachers Aug. 10, with students returning to class Aug. 17.
Among the questions asked were:
• Given the fact that maintenance employees work inside schools, and that this employee began showing symptoms last week, have the 12-month employees at those schools been notified? What is the protocol for them?
• Will the schools that maintenance employees have been working inside over the last week be deep-cleaned between the date of the positive test (Monday) and the day teachers return (Thursday and Aug. 10, respectively)?
• If the Maintenance Department employees who came into close contact with this individual are still working — our sources say they are — are they being allowed to enter school buildings?
• Has the school board been notified about the positive test out of the Maintenance Department? Have any school board members been exposed to any Maintenance Department employees?
So, will the public be informed if a staff member or student tests positive for the virus?
Wayne County Public Information Officer Joel Gillie said that should a positive test result come back, the Health Department would begin contact tracing — as it does for all positive tests in the county. But whether or not the information is disclosed is left up to “the private business” — or, in this case, WCPS officials.
The district’s Public Information officer, Ken Derksen, did not respond directly to the New Old North’s questions other than to reiterate that WCPS would not be confirming or denying whether there was a positive test because of privacy concerns.
Derksen did say, however, that the Health Department would also weigh in on whether or not closing particular classrooms, or entire school buildings, would be necessary in the event of a COVID-infected employee and provided the following screenshots to illustrate how the district would respond should a WCPS staff member — or person who has been in a Wayne County school — test positive for the virus:
WCPS “Board” the way y’all are going on with Plan B this is only the beginning. WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION!!!!! Do you care anything about the students and staff??? NO!!!!!!
And this folks is why we need to go to remote learning! This is just the beginning!
I am so stressed out ! I really do not know what they are thinking, one thing for sure they are not thinking about our children or the staff members. I have many concerns , I really have not got any real responses back.. I guess i will get answers on the 12th & 13th. That is when our bus meeting is, 80 plus people will be attending. really nervous about that. Since March, i have kept myself from family members and any kind of social grouping, but now i am faced with a meeting of 80 plus people that i have no idea what they have been doing since March . Is it wrong for me to be concerned?
This is not the first, there have been more 12 month employees test positive. It was kept hush -hush. It will not be the last. The systems response and support to employees and families will show their commitment to a safe work environment. Even with Plan C the teachers will be in buildings.
Dr. Dunsmore had issues, however, I found him to be very safety cautious. He was.very aware his decisions could be life and death for employees and students. Through the years, other superintendents held off on weather decisions. The busses and employees have.driven home in less than safe conditions.
Dr Dunsmore never did that. He always used caution I was never a fan of his politics or spending. He was completely unaproachable. However, we need a leader who takes safety seriously, like he did.
If we cannot trust our administration, our schools will implode. (We are pretty close, now.) We need honest, straightforward, empathetic leaders who do.what is best for all students and staff.
I have heard that there have been a few 12 month employees that have gotten sick but for some reason the county isn’t saying anything. And before they use that bull-crap excuse about privacy issues – we’re not asking for names. We just want to know if there was a case, when and where was the person working.
That being said… If we do open on Plan B – I hope everyone will blow up the social media if any cases arise in the schools. I promise, If I catch it, all of Wayne County Will Know!
Employees need to rally in a LARGE way for our school district to move back to Plan C. Find yourself a NC map of what each of the county school systems are doing and you will find that the large propensity of public school systems are wisely beginning the school year under Plan C. All or nearly all of the sounties surrounding Wayne County have chosen Plan C so as to provide the time needed to determine the best course of action in the future. Common sense can’t be measured like popularity and school board votes can and it’s a shame that Wayne County sticks out like a sore thumb with their Plan B decision! If this decision isn’t changed BEFORE school starts, I can pretty much guarantee it will change by the end of September!
Every one is just falling all over themselves a bout going back to school,shows me the first person that has not made regular trips to the grocery store, Walmart,or anywhere else they wanted to go and expected people to be there to serve them, and if taxpayers refused to pay school employees without working like all those people that serve them at all the places they go, wonder if going back to work might be important
Everyone is talking about the maintenance employees that may have gone into these schools. Has anyone thought about the fact that these employees have not known about this situation and they may be at risk and their families? Those employees are not the enemy and should not be looked as such! I can assure you that when they go to a school they use caution. They answer to a higher power as well so how about not talking bad about the employees who are innocent and just doing their jobx!
Have we found the 5 million yet?
People get the flu every year. Stop the fear porn and stop being brazenly led astray, sheep.