COBB COUNTY, Ga. — More than 110,000 students in Georgia’s second largest school district are starting the school year online. But there are a few bumps along the road on the first day of school.
The Cobb County school district said there were some “isolated issues” with the online learning portal. Channel 2 Action News has received multiple messages from parents and students.
“The beginning first block was a little bit unorganized,” Cobb senior Mayah Monthrope told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.
For thousands of students like Monthrope, many couldn’t access the district’s Cobb Learning and Teacher System, or CLTS. There were problems with links not working and not being able to access Zoom meetings.
The problems left some parents feeling frustrated while others understood.
“Obviously figuring out all of the kinks to the system. I’m guessing this is gonna take another week or so before we can get everybody really on,” parent Jessica Bergeron said.
The school system said it was server issue that impacted connectivity. When the day started, only 65,000 users could log in. The district said it solved the issue by noon and eventually got the students logged into their remote classrooms.
“I know there were a lot of hiccups. But everyone’s being really patient and the teachers are being really forgiving and flexible,” Monthrope said.
While teachers and staff will be the only ones in the classroom, parents remain at odds about virtual learning.
“This virus is not going away. We have to learn to live with it. We’re not going to hide,” said Cobb County Parents for Choice supporter, Amy Henry.
Cindy Cooperman is a member of Cobb County Parents for Choice supporter, too. She’s a mother of two who wants an option for face-to-face learning in Cobb County.
“What have they been doing for months? Corporate America had had to paint the train while it’s moving,” Cooperman said.
[COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Plans for returning to school this fall]
Parent Stephanie Barringer likes the county’s phased reopening plan.
“We don’t want to see what is happening in our neighboring counties. Where we’re now infamous all over the nation for opening up inappropriately,” Barringer said.
But she hopes more information is released soon.
“Sanitation, safety measures, how are we keeping kids and teachers safe? We haven’t seen any of that,” Barringer said.
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All three phases will give families the option for virtual or face-to-face learning. We’ll see elementary school and special education students return first.
Phase two re-opens middle schools two weeks later. High school students return in phase three.
While students won’t be in the classroom, some will be in a classroom-type setting with other kids.
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