The Hall County School District is extending learning from home for its more than 27,000 students. They’ll remain online now through at least January 15, school officials say.
The district, which reverted to online instruction after the Christmas holiday, reported 170 COVID-19 related absences among school faculty and staff on Wednesday. Additionally, school officials say there are 170 to 190 non-COVID-related adult absences per day.
“As a result, the district does not have the capacity to safely and effectively support the number of students currently enrolled for in-person instruction,” says superintendent Will Schofield. “The number of individuals willing to substitute teach is declining daily, and unfortunately, similar to what we witnessed following the Thanksgiving holiday, the number of positive cases and quarantines among team members is increasing significantly.”
The impact of COVID-19 goes beyond classroom personnel. On average, Hall County Schools have 15 to 20 bus drivers absent per day, and the pool of substitute drivers is extremely limited. Other essential team members from technology, school nutrition, custodial services, and maintenance, are also affected.
“We have said from day one that our biggest challenge in managing COVID-19 would not be spread among students in our buildings; but rather, would we have enough adults present to hold school and effectively deliver instruction,” Schofield recounts.
He says the school system has “an obligation” to do its part in protecting the health of the community and in supporting the local healthcare system. As of January 7, Northeast Georgia Health System, which serves Hall and surrounding counties, had 24 available beds with 340 patients being treated for COVID-19 across its four hospital campuses.
School administrators say the district will continue to monitor its COVID numbers internally and will consult with local health officials regarding community spread and available resources. Parents and stakeholders will be notified by the end of the day on Thursday, January 14, concerning the next steps for delivery of instruction following the MLK holiday.
When Hall County Schools return to in-person instruction, the district will spend a limited number of days following a hybrid A/B schedule to revisit and introduce 200 Percent Accountability and mitigation measures.
Schofield thanked students, parents, staff, and the community for their patience and flexibility during the pandemic. “We will continue to strive to support the learning of all students under these challenging circumstances, and we are committed to the health and well-being of the Hall County community.”
Hall County is one of at least eight area school systems that switched to virtual learning or modified schedules after Christmas break because of the pandemic. Habersham County is among them. The Habersham Board of Education will hold its first public work session since the decision was announced Monday. The work session is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. January 7. Click here to view it.
