Good Evening Parents/Students/Staff

This is Chad Calhoun, Superintendent of Mitchell County Schools.

It came to our attention this afternoon that a student/staff member had been tested for CoVid-19
(Coronavirus) at Bakersville Medical Clinic. We immediately reached out to the Mitchell County
Health Department to investigate and advise us. Both the Bakersville Medical Clinic and the
Mitchell County Health Department have released statements. (They are posted on our
Facebook Page and Website) At this time neither the Mitchell County Health Department - nor
the State of North Carolina, which held a press conference concerning the coronavirus today at
noon - recommend closing any schools. The Bakersville Medical Clinic and the Mitchell County
Health Department believe there is a very remote chance that either of these tests will be
positive. Neither patient has traveled or been in contact with anyone who has positive test
results. We were advised that it would take 72 hours to receive the results and that the tests
were given as a study and to ease the minds of the patients.

However, we understand the concern over this virus. I have instructed our principals to excuse
and waive all absences until further notice. We do not recommend or encourage students to
miss school, but certainly understand any concerns, worries, and the wishes of our parents.

Mitchell County Schools have been very proactive by following CDC guidelines for this virus,
even before they were required. We have posted on our Webpage and Facebook what steps
we have taken and are continuing to take.

Please let your school principal/secretary know if your child will not be at school. Also, all
students/staff please stay home and contact your medical provider if you have flu-like
symptoms and/or running a fever. Mitchell County Schools will be open and will continue to
follow all guidance from Mitchell County Health Department, our state agencies and the CDC.
Student Safety and providing the best education possible are very important to all of us.

Thank you,
Mr. Calhoun

Additional Release Below:

Today Mitchell County Schools sent out an Information Call/Press Release after getting many
calls from parents and the public that they had heard either a staff member or student was
tested for Coronavirus. We immediately reached out to the Mitchell County Health Department
to investigate and clarify as they are the lead agency. They responded that tests had been
given(please see their release) at the Bakersville Medical Clinic. More and More Calls
continued to come into the school system as rumors began to form throughout the county. The
Bakersville Medical Clinic reached out to Mitchell County Schools to explain(see their release).
Mitchell County Schools was given the information in the two press releases which we shared
with the public and should be taken as the facts as medical professionals are trained to make
these decisions and recommendations.

Mitchell County School Superintendent, Chad Calhoun, decided to release a statement and a
call because of all the questions, concerns, and rumors that were being shared. Mitchell County
Health Department and Bakersville Medical Clinic asked that their statements be released also .
The call was released not to cause panic, but to inform our parents of the facts(see the press
releases from MCHD and Bakersville Medical Clinic as these are the facts) and what was true
before rumors and non facts became spread throughout the county causing panic.