FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Fulton County School Board has approved initial plans for a return to school in August.
Fulton County Schools superintendent Mike Looney said the district is considering three scenarios.
Looney told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik the three scenarios include a return to a traditional classroom, continuing with virtual learning at home, or a hybrid plan, which Looney said is his last choice.
“We would separate the students into two separate groups: Group A and Group B. The Group A students would go Monday, Wednesday and Friday of week one, and Tuesday and Thursday of Week 2. Group B would do the inverse of that,” he said.
Looney said any return to the classroom would include new protocols, including requiring teachers to wear masks and no large group gatherings, such as pep rallies. Looney said the district would adhere to the latest CDC guidelines.
“We have refocused our cleaning process to wiping down high touch surfaces frequently during the day, a renewed standard as it relates to student and employee health,” he said.
RELATED STORIES
- Here are the COVID-19 scenarios Georgia schools are reviewing for the fall
- As metro Atlanta districts end school year, CDC releases guidelines for reopening
- Fulton schools looking at 3 possibilities for back-to-school plans, addressing a ‘new normal’
Looney said any form or virtual learning would be more robust in the Fall based on feedback from parents.
“We have learned that we need more structure and remote learning processes,” he said. “We also learned that we have way too many platforms for our students and parents to navigate.”
Laura Boggs was one of those parents providing feedback.
Boggs said her 17-year-old daughter, Sadie, couldn’t understand why school closed in March.
Sadie has autism and developmental delays, and Boggs said she thrives on her routine.
“It was lights out,” she told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik. “We tried explaining staying healthy and germs and stopping the spread, but she doesn’t understand.”
For Sadie, virtual learning didn’t work.
“It was virtually impossible. She didn’t understand that her people weren’t in the room with her and she didn’t respond at all to what was on the screen,” said Boggs. “She was angry, she cried, tried to close the laptop.”
Boggs said she’s hopeful that with the plans approved this week, students could return to the classroom.
“I’ve heard a willingness to be nimble with the special needs population and perhaps if everyone doesn’t go back our kids would,” she said.
Additionally, Looney said the school board has given him the green light to create a virtual learning option for elementary school students whose families have concerns about them returning to class due to a medical condition or living with someone who is considered medically fragile. High schoolers already have the ability to take virtual classes, Looney said.
“We’re asking parents to make a semester-long commitment,” he said. “Obviously we will continue to operate that as-needed into the second semester and beyond.”
Looney also said the board has come up with a policy about future closures, so that if a COVID-19 case breaks out at one school, it might not necessarily affect the entire school, cluster or district. In March, the district entirely shut down after a teacher in South Fulton County tested positive for the virus.
“Our plan going forward is to open and close schools on a continuum based on the reality of conditions on the ground there,” he said.
Looney said a final decision on how to move forward could come as early as a June 29 board meeting.
Boggs told Petchenik she’s hopeful to see Sadie back in class.
“I think parents should have the choice whether to send their children back or not based on if they’re medically fragile, then stay home,” she said. “On the other hand I’m concerned about students like Sadie who will just not benefit from virtual learning.”
© 2020 Cox Media Group
