The two largest college campuses in the state have completely gone to online instruction and asked resident students to go home for the foreseeable future.

UNC – Chapel Hill did it within just a couple of weeks after school convened. When that happened, NC State was still “safe” except for a couple of clusters. At least that is what the public knew and the students. But within another two weeks, NCSU issued its “go home” orders.

That’s really quick. Almost too quick if we as the public were led to believe to know as much as the leaders in the school systems.

In fact, those two schools rank in the top 10 nationwide with number of cases known.

The Times said UNC-CH ranks second nationally with 835 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. N.C. State is sixth with 509 cases. East Carolina University ranks 12th with 392.

When the outbreaks in Georgia public schools began to make the national news, it would not be surprising if teachers found out about the severity of those situations at the same time as students, parents, and the even the public.

There are certainly privacy issues, but another recent report from the News & Observer makes this teacher want to ask whether those who are teaching in schools that are offering in-person instruction know as much as they should know about infection rates.

The report deals with Macon County Schools in western, NC. Its county seat is Franklin.

It’s the quote above that is most interesting. The superintendent seems to say that the closures are due to the fact that too many teachers are in quarantine to be able to get substitutes to fill the vacancies.

Nothing about infection rates among students.

Nothing about contact tracing and who might be tested. No need for names, but at least let teachers know the number of students infected or quarantining?

In fact, it seems to report that schools are not closing for in-person instruction because of a COVID-19 outbreak, but just because too many teachers need substitutes.

Why is there a need for quarantining after the school year had already started?

And why is it only teacher numbers that are reported?

And just imagine where teachers could have come into contact with the virus that would force them to be quarantined.