District 5 Habersham Board of Education member John Elger released a statement regarding the Habersham County Schools reopening plan, discussed at the Aug. 10 BOE meeting. The statement reads as follows:
1. How we got to this point
The leader of our country has stated in no uncertain terms that it is time to get the kids back to school whether or not it is safe for them to do so. He has even threatened to withhold badly needed Federal COVID funding from any school system that does not capitulate to his demands for immediate in-school reopening. Add to that the State government changing the rules under which the public-school systems are to play at the very last moment. They abandoned on July 13 the CDC’s three-tiered classification system for school reopening which as of then, as well as now, would have mandated that HCS do an online opening only. So basically, their message has become: “good luck guys, do whatever you want, you are basically on your own.”
Further complicating things, if HCS wanted to make mask-wearing mandatory, which is the best currently-available deterrent to coronavirus spread, HCS, like the City of Atlanta, would risk the threat of a lawsuit from the State, which HCS has neither the time nor the resources to defend against. [Editor’s note: According to the Georgia Department of Education, local school districts do have the authority to require face coverings as part of their dress code policy.] Finally, data reported from multiple reliable sources say that an in-school reopening by HCS anytime soon exposes our children, their families, and the community to substantial risks of worsening an already significant healthcare problem. In fact, only five states, including Georgia, account for 40% of all identified COVID cases in the US to date. Further, over the past seven days, Georgia is tied for third (with Florida!) in the US in per capita new COVID cases. Over that same period, Habersham County has experienced more than 3 times the maximum COVID spread rate for safe reopening as recommended by experts, even assuming mandatory mask-wearing and reliable minimum social distancing.
2. Reopening Plan update reports
I am hopeful that no later than the currently scheduled August 27 there will be a presentation by HCS of the most-current update of the Reopening Plan. The opportunity for HCS to continue to refine the Plan is one of the key reasons for the BOE’s decision to further delay reopening until September 8.
3. Current and potential future options offered to parents and students in the Reopening Plan
The HCS staff and administration, with the support of the BOE, has developed and continues to refine a reopening plan that makes the best of a very difficult, continually changing situation. Most importantly, the evolving HCS plan gives students and families the flexibility to decide which of a number of different approaches (in-school or remote learning or a mix of the two; remote learning based on third-party curriculum; participation in sports and other extracurricular activities or not; wear a mask if you care about the health and wellbeing of others; or don’t; etc.). While the costs and the effort involved are substantial and help from the federal and state leadership minimal or counterproductive, there has been a firm, unwavering, commitment by all HCS leaders and employees to make the best of this quite frankly miserable situation for our students, their families, and the community by providing as many options as possible for each of our students to have a safe and productive school year. Now it is up to every member of the school community and the larger Habersham community to do what they can to maximize our chances for a successful 2020-2021 school year. WEAR YOUR MASKS (if you are willing to wear a mask so that you can shop at Wal-Mart or Ingles, please be willing to do so to protect each other and yourself). Where you are given options under the Plan, please exercise those options thoughtfully and promptly. Be as patient as you can be. There are no slackers involved in this effort, only those who are willing to do their best, work their hardest, and often put their own wellbeing at risk to give HCS every opportunity to provide SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS.
