March 10, 2020

Good afternoon Precious Parents,

Many of you have called or emailed with your concerns about the coronavirus and the school’s plans to participate in all of the ACSI competitions this Friday. As I shared in the Facebook video, NTA has taken precautions to keep our students, faculty and families safe. I contacted ACSI last week about our seniors traveling to Florida and the consensus was that the trip should go on as planned. The senior sponsors took extra precautions by ordering hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes to be delivered to the hotel they were staying. Our state athletic association also issued a statement that said, “based upon our knowledge of the situation at this time, we are proceeding as scheduled for the spring season.”

This Friday, band students will travel to Raleigh to compete in the ACSI Band Festival. They have been preparing for this festival since the beginning of the year. The adult sponsors will take extra hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes to be used in the food court where they will eat lunch. Elementary and middle school students that are traveling to Rocky Mount for the spelling bee and art festival will take the same precautions.

I just finished listening to Governor Cooper’s live statement about the coronavirus and the people of NC. He stated very clearly that the people at risk were people over 65, anyone with recurring health issues or heart condition, and those with a weakened immune system. They advised that people that met those conditions should stay out of large crowds and large public events. The statement also stated that schools are not being advised to close unless a public health inspection is required.

If you wish to transport your student to any of the events above and pack their lunch that would be fine. Please let the teacher know that your child will not be riding the bus by Thursday. We have chartered buses for the band festival so it is imperative that we have a correct number of students riding the bus. If you choose to keep your student home from the competitions, again it is imperative that the teacher know in advance. This is especially important if your student is in band, where their absence impacts the entire band competition.

Thank you,

R. McLamb