Julie Davis, who taught at Norwood Elementary School in Stanly County, died from Covid-19 related complications, according to Michelle Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Stanly County School District. While the official cause of death hasn’t been released, Bailey confirmed Davis’ diagnosis.
Davis began experiencing symptoms on September 25th and immediately self-quarantined, Bailey said.
On September 29th, the Stanly County Health Department notified parents of the teacher’s third grade class that they were required to quarantine for 14 days after being exposed to a staff member who had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Bailey told CNN the staff member was indeed Davis. CNN reached out to the North Carolina Office of Medical Examiner for confirmation of cause of death but we haven’t heard back.
None of the quarantined students have developed any symptoms or tested positive, Bailey said. The health department told the administration it believed Davis did not contract the virus from the school.
Davis taught at Norwood Elementary School for two years, and she had earned a reputation as an “inspirational teacher who was always seeking ways to support every student so that they were able to fulfill their potential,” the district said in a Facebook post.
“Students absolutely loved being taught by Mrs. Davis,” the district said. “Her personality was infectious and she brought joy into the lives of the students, staff, and community.”
North Carolina currently has the eighth highest number of cases in states across the US, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.
The total number of cases across the state to date is 219,754, with 3,637 Covid-19 related fatalities, the DOH said.
There have been at least 7,433,828 coronavirus cases in US overall and at least 209,928 deaths.