LAURINBURG — As Cumberland County closes Douglas Byrd Middle School feeding site for several weeks and Durham Public Schools ending its food-distribution program due to employees catching COVID-19, Scotland County Schools assures residents there are protocols in place for these situations.
Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services Cory Satterfield told WLNC on Friday that the school district has been delivering around 6,000 meals per day and are doing the best to keep both employees and students safe.
“We are doing our best to keep our employees safe we have given all our employees masks and gloves,” Satterfield told WLNC. “We have also put sanitizer spray and rags on buses so bus drivers can continually wipe their buses down … we’ve also asked bus drivers and meal distribution workers not to get off the bus at all times while delivering meals.”
Satterfield added there are signs on the buses reminding workers to continually wear gloves, masks and to not have any physical contact with anyone.
“We do have a process in place that any of our workers have come to school sick and they have been tested we would automatically shut that site down until the test results have come back,” Satterfield said. “At this point, no employees have tested positive for the COVID-19 at this point.”
The district has been providing meals for students across the county since school was shut down by Gov. Roy Cooper and has been using school locations and buses to allow for students to have access to meals during these times. Since beginning in March the schools are approaching giving out 170,000 grab-and-go meals and with the risk of COVID-19, the district does have a plan in place in case an employee begins having symptoms.
“We do have a process in place that any of our workers have come to school sick and they have been tested we would automatically shut that site down until the test results have come back,” Satterfield said. “At this point, no employees have tested positive for the COVID-19 … at this point.”
As schools are closed children are not allowed to eat at the school feeding sites and are only allowed to pick up the grab-and-go meals before going back home and buses bring the meals on their bus routes to drop off to students. When schools first closed one of the biggest concerns from the Scotland County Board of Education along with Superintendent Ron Hargrave was making sure students were fed.
Feeding site locations are at Laurel Hill Elementary, Wagram Elementary, I. Ellis Johnson Elementary, Scotland High School, and Sycamore Lane Elementary. Breakfast will be available from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
