APS delays face-to-face learning until at least January 2021

ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools will not return to face-to-face learning until at least January 2021, the district’s superintendent said Friday.

Channel 2′s Justin Wilfon spoke with the district’s superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring, moments after she made the announcement and told him the decision was a hard one, but it was the right thing to do.

“One of the things that we’ve been very clear about communicating since the very beginning, is our responsibility to monitor community spread. We still sit in substantial spread in the city of Atlanta. We’ve been monitoring those numbers and that data and just a few weeks ago we were very encouraged, but there has been a significant shift in the trend and it is still substantial,” Herring said.

Parents across APS were asked to take a survey about what they wanted in light of the pandemic and Herring said that had some bearing on the decision, but not all.

“The results of that survey alone are not the solo indicator, but it was certainly helpful. The declaration of intent did show that there was some interest and so we do not, we do not want to minimize that we know that there are families who have not a strong desire, but legitimate concerns around the desire to be fully face to face,” Herring told Wilfon.

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In a news release, the district said there with the announcement, the APS nutrition program will continue to provide seven-day weekly meal kits (seven breakfast meals and seven lunch meals) with distribution occurring each Monday, beginning Oct. 26, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. from one of the 14 curbside pick-up locations or designated school bus routes.

As for sports, “football, volleyball, softball, and cross-country teams will continue to compete, following the appropriate health and safety protocols we’ve put in place. No fans are allowed in the stands. In addition, we expect our winter sports athletes to begin conditioning soon, following all health and safety protocols.”

“As we continue our preparations for the eventual return to in-person instruction, we will continue to monitor the health data, maintain our safety measures and protocols in our buildings, and communicate with our students, families, teachers, staff, and the APS community throughout this process,” the release said.

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