CASTLE HAYNE, N.C. (WECT) – Denise Coates, a teacher assistant at Castle Hayne Elementary School, has died after a battle with Covid-19.
According to a message sent to families from the school’s principal Christianne May, Coates contracted the virus while out of state. She was responding to a family emergency in Vermont in early September when she contracted the coronavirus, and did not return to the area or the school after her diagnosis.
Coates had been a teacher’s assistant in New Hanover County Schools since 2017, first at Ashley High School and later at Castle Hayne Elementary School. Before that, she was a teacher assistant for 15 years in Fayetteville.
In addition to working as a teacher assistant, Coates also worked as a massage therapist at a local spa.
The New Hanover County Schools Crisis Response Team will be at Castle Hayne Elementary School on Monday to support the staff and students.
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