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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE OCTOBER 15, 2020 • VOL. 2,
NO. 49 |
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Stories and photos by Wingate Lassiter unless otherwise noted (click highlighted link to e-mail the editor) |
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Students return to all schools next week; "We do not feel safe," says teacher advocate Starting next Monday (October 19), students in all grades but three will return to classrooms at every level throughout Johnston County. Children in grades 1-2 will join pre-K and Kindergarten students (who have already returned) five days a week. Students will return to middle and high schools in two shifts: half on Mondays and Tuesdays, half on Thursdays and Fridays. Students in grades 3-5 will return the following week (October 26). Students in all grades whose parents have elected virtual learning at home will remain there. Many teachers as well as parents are eager for children to return to their schools. Others aren't so sure.  "We do not feel safe," Johnston County
Association of Educators President April Lee told the
county's Board of Education on Tuesday.She said state guidelines allowing social-distancing in classrooms of three feet rather than six coupled with a local policy "suggesting two-minute mask breaks inside classrooms is frightening." Furthermore, she continued, "our biggest disappointment was a lack of planning for our virtual-learning environment." She said the school system missed an opportunity to create a "virtual academy" over the summer (as other districts have done). "As a result, many staff members are being forced to return to buildings and risk their health, or to take unpaid FMLA (family and medical leave), or to resign," she said. "Many teachers and staff have become disillusioned by the handling of COVID by our district and are actively looking for other employment opportunities. What will we do when we have created our own teacher shortage?" she concluded Neither board members nor administrators responded to her complaints during Tuesday's session. And there was no discussion about re-opening plans, unlike lengthy give-and-take among board members and staff at previous meetings. CORONAVIRUS REPORT
Johnston cases top 5,000
as numbers
• 5,058
cases, 61 deaths, 16
hospitalized + 535 at
home for a total ofrise more rapidly nationwide, worldwide Are we beginning to see a predicted seasonal spike in coronavirus cases here and elsewhere around the state and nation? Some alarming numbers: Johns Hopkins University reports more than 2,350,000 new cases worldwide and more than 350,000 new cases in the United States in the past week. North Carolina recorded more than 13,400 new cases this past week; Johnston County 249, the largest weekly gain here since mid-summer. Here's the County of Johnston's official report as of 4:55 p.m. Wednesday: 551 active cases --- up from 434 a week ago, 4,446 presumed recovered. • 2,673 female cases; 2,385 male. • Cases by age: 740 ages 0-17 (710 last week); 706 18-24 (677 last week); 2,090 25-49 (1,984 last week); 965 50-64 (910 last week); 557 age 65+ (528). • Cases by race: 2,909 white, 633 black, 795 other (721 not known). • Cases by ethnicity: 2,071 Hispanic, 2,503 non-Hispanic (484 not known). JOHNSTON SCHOOLS INTRODUCE NEW DAILY REPORT SEPARATING STUDENT AND EMPLOYEE COVID-19 CASES Here's what was posted at 8:56 a.m. today (Thursday): STUDENT DATA: 23 confirmed cases among 2,577 students who have returned to face-to-face learning at school (a percentage of 0.89) --- 4 in elementary schools, 5 in middle schools, 14 in high schools. EMPLOYEE DATA: 18 confirmed cases, 153 quarantined among approximately 5,000 employees including teachers, administrators, and support staff (a percentage of 0.36) --- 4 in elementary schools, 4 in middle schools, 4 in high schools, 6 in Central Office administration. VIEW the current list of test sites and testing events in Johnston County>
LOCAL INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS: Johnston County Jail --- 3 inmates, 19 staff Smithfield Manor Nursing & Rehab --- 3 residents, 8 staff Barbour Court Nursing & Rehab --- 1 resident, 4 staff |
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Johnston's high-school graduation rate remains above state average; SSS lags  Johnston County's Board of Education
received the latest state report on high-school
graduation rates this week.It shows Johnston's schools at a whole scored above the statewide average, although the result was down slightly from 2019. For Smithfield-Selma High School, the rate for 2020 fell below the state average rate. The rate at SSS was slightly above the N.C. average in 2019. Deputy Superintendent Paula Coates pointed out that Johnston's overall rate has remained above the state average the past eight years. The percentage is based on the number of students who entered the ninth grade and successfully earned their high-school diplomas within four years, she noted. READ MORE from Tuesday's monthly Board of Education meeting> |
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 Galilee Road remains closed at the washout just west of Packing Plant Road. The large metal culvert will soon be removed to make way for a bridge over the creek. Washed-out Galilee Road to get a bridge That recent washout on Galilee Road that took the lives of two small children has prompted the N.C. Department of Transportation to pursue an "emergency contract" to construct a bridge in place of the culvert that couldn't handle the flash flooding that occurred the night of August 31. That was the second washout at Galilee Road's crossing of Arters Branch in recent years --- the first during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. NCDOT says the bridge should be finished next March. |
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 Panelists for the Heritage Center's forum on racism in education were: (left to right) Shirley Cohen, a retired Johnston County teacher; David Johnson, president of Johnston Community College; moderator Denise Bennett; Crystal Roberts, Chief of Equity, Information, and Student Services for Johnston County Public Schools; and Emily Hargrove, Advanced Learning Coach for Johnston's schools. (Photo by Todd Johnson) To counter racism in education, panelists focus on dialogue, expectations, recruiting Three threads of consensus emerged from last Thursday evening's round-table discussion about racism in public education and how to overcome it: One is gaining greater understanding of students' different backgrounds and cultures through ongoing dialogue across racial lines. Another is expecting academic achievement by all students, not just the privileged. The third is recruiting teachers and administrators reflective of the community's racial composition. "The only way we're ever going to come together is to understand one another," declared Shirley Cohen, who taught school for 37 years, many of those in racially segregated classrooms. "You have to have a sincere heart to do this," she said. "All children want to be loved and feel like you care for them." Crystal Roberts said she sees "too, too many people who don't understand that systemic racism does exist." "Let's mingle, understand the cultures, and go from there," urged David Johnson. Emily Hargrove said "teachers are generally empathetic people" who tend to lower academic expectations for disadvantaged children. That, she said, is a "disservice" to those students, and should be avoided. "Expect the best from every single child that walks through that door," Ms. Roberts added. "All children can learn if you work with them," insisted Mrs. Cohen. "We need to increase the number of teachers of color in our district," Ms. Hargrove stated. "The faculty has to be diversified --- it has to be," Ms. Cohen declared. All the other panelists throughout the discussion put similar emphasis on that goal. "Diversity in the classroom," said Dr. Johnson, "improves retention and student success." He concluded: "We live in a racially charged world.... We've got to prepare them for this," he said, referring to all students. As a prelude to the evening's discussion, Heritage Center Director Todd Johnson read an editorial entitled "What Blacks Are Fussing About" that was written in 1970 by long-time Smithfield Herald Editor Tom Lassiter. Its message is timely in today's racially charged political environment. The full text is on the OBSERVATIONS page> VIEW the entire hour-long discussion on the Heritage Center's YouTube channel> |
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WHAT'S COMING UP? COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEET AT 6 P.M. TODAY (THURSDAY) FOR A PUBLIC HEARING ON A COVID-19 GRANT APPLICATION The board will meet in the Old Superior Courtroom in the Courthouse to consider an application for a $900,000 COVID-19 Community Development Block Grant. Proposed use of the money is to expand the amount and types of subsistence payments being offered by the county's Department of Social Services for utility bills and rent and mortgage payments "due to the adverse impact of COVID-19." The board also plans to consider legislative goals to submit to the N.C. Association of County Commissioners for the 2021 session of the N.C. General Assembly. Today's meeting will be live-streamed on the county's Facebook page> OUTDOOR DINING DOWNTOWN CONTINUES THROUGH OCTOBER 30  Downtown Smithfield's "Third StrEATery"
is an opportunity to take out food from nearby
restaurants and sit at tables socially distanced along
the 100 block of South Third Street (closed to vehicular
traffic) while listening to music by the following
performers between 6 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and
Saturdays:This Friday --- Charles Newkirk, jazz guitarist This Saturday --- Footnotes, a local jazz trio made up of pianist Jess Pittard, guitarist Ned Attayek, and bassist Wingate Lassiter October 23 --- Nate Brown's Rhythms of Soul, steel drummer October 24 --- Serenading & Saxie, saxophonist October 30 --- Casey T. Cotton, pianist and vocalist of Blazin' Keys Entertainment |
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DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area.... WILLIAM PRESTON MORGAN JR., 57 - died October 12 JEAN DAY PADDISON, 85 - died October 8 RACHEL WATERS HOLLAND, 87 - died October 8 BARBARA (BOBBIE) ANN REISS FELIZZI, 69 - died October 8 MYRTLE HUDSON PILKINGTON, 97 - died October 7 CHRISTINE HINES SANDERS, 97 - died October 7 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS  SEGREGATED SHORT JOURNEY SCHOOL 75 YEARS AGO This photograph is from the collection of former Johnston County Superintendent of Schools H.B. Marrow (he served from 1922 until 1951). It's one of many taken by Smithfield photographer Dot Hooks during some kind of special school-day event at racially segregated Short Journey School on Cleveland Road, likely in the late 1940s or early '50s. (Photo from the Johnston County Heritage Center) |
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LINKS TO MORE PAGES IN THIS EDITION OBSERVATIONS Rewind with our archives CORRECTION: IT WAS NATIONAL 4-H WEEK An item in last week's edition incorrectly stated that the County Commissioners had proclaimed October 4-10 as "National Girl Scout Week." The proclamation was for National 4-H Week. Last week's archived edition has been corrected. |
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