Last week, as students and parents weighed the difficult decision of whether or not to return to school in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, some noticed a strange detail on Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools’ “Welcome Back – Family Edition” information document.
On the bottom left corner of page 29, titled “Isolation Rooms,” is a photo of a masked person standing in an empty classroom. Concerned parents were quick to point out this picture’s striking similarity to an iconic shot from the 1999 found-footage horror film The Blair Witch Project.
“I mean, it’s the exact same image,” said one parent. “It makes you wonder, what was it doing in this document about COVID-19 safety procedures? This is gonna sound crazy, but do you think someone at the district could be trying to warn us?”
After several days of tense speculation, East Principal Ken Proulx addressed the rumors at a virtual Q&A last Friday.
“I’m going to be 100 percent transparent with you,” he said, sitting at a table in East’s library. “There is a Blair Witch. And there is reason to believe she may be lurking in the school building. But we have strict measures in place to combat any potential Blair Witch related threats, and there is very little risk to the safety of the children.”
He proceeded to list several precautions: providing students with maps and flashlights, instituting regular checks for signs of possession and educating students on the nature of the Blair Witch’s dark magic.
Despite this, many parents still expressed concern in a second round of questions.
“What would happen if a student were to refuse to use the map they were provided? Or if they were to, let’s say, kick it into a creek?”
“Can we really be confident in the accuracy of the tests for possession?”
“Will the appearance of rock cairns, stick figures in trees, or strange runic symbols be enough to warrant closing the school again?”
Before parents were able to receive answers, Proulx’s video feed abruptly cut out in a burst of static. Seconds later, the Webex meeting likewise ended, leaving many shaken and confused.
In an official statement released Saturday, Proulx apologized for the incident, stating that it was nothing more than a small misunderstanding. He also reiterated his stance that despite the apparent danger of reopening the school, “the benefits far outweigh the potential costs.”
Over the following days, parents who had previously opted for their children to return to school frantically searched for a way to reverse their decision.
“Well, when we filled out the survey on Thursday, we didn’t think anything like this would happen. We’ve tried to reach out to the district, but when we called the phone number on their website, all we heard was what sounded like heavy human breathing.”
Some students expressed fear at the prospect of returning to a building potentially haunted by a centuries-old evil entity. Others treated their fate with resignation.
“My parents want me to go back to school,” said one junior. “I’m worried about getting attacked by the Blair Witch, but there’s not really anything I can do about it. I guess we’ll just have to see in January.”
The Blair Witch did not respond to requests for comment.
“Blair Witch” photo courtesy of Artisan Entertainment
