School leaders aim for normalcy as Robeson, Scotland County students head back to class

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WMBF) - Robeson and Scotland County schools are back in session after spending the majority of last year using a virtual model.

Teachers and students at St. Paul’s Elementary spent the day getting re-acclimated to the building.

While the district begins the road back to normalcy, temperature checks and masks serve as a reminder that there’s still work to do.

“We’re aiming for some sense of normalcy, but we haven’t lost sight of that we’re still in the COVID-19 pandemic. If you look at our schools you’ll still see the physical distancing reminders and sanitation stations,” said Dr. Gordon Burnette, the spokesperson for the Public Schools of Robeson County.

Burnette said the district will continue to monitor its COVID-19 precautions on a monthly basis.

The district’s virtual model is only available to students who have pre-existing health conditions.

“Those students can go to the central office and pick up a health waiver that needs to be signed by a physician and those students can continue learning online, virtual learning,” Burnette said.

Fourth-grade teacher Chahtinney White called on students as they raised their hands during a lesson. White said she missed this type of student interaction while teaching virtually.

“One of the things we’re working on is building the children’s confidence because if we’re able to build the confidence and relationship with the students, that’s one of the things we were lacking in large part during virtual. Once we build the confidence we can get students on the same page and start learning,” White said.

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