Georgia’s educational and public health leaders have provided a road map for students’ return to classrooms this fall.
Schools were dismissed March 13 because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, and districts relied on distance learning over the remainder of the academic calendar.
Last Monday, June 1, the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Department of Public Health teamed up and released guidance for a safe return to face-to-face instruction for K-12 public schools for the 2020-2021 school year.
“We created these guidelines, in partnership with Dr. Kathleen Toomey and her team at the Georgia Department of Public Health, to give school districts a blueprint for a safe reopening that is realistic in the K-12 setting,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in the press release.
“We have a responsibility to keep our students, teachers, school staff and families safe and to provide the best possible education for our children. I’m confident these guidelines will help schools accomplish both of those objectives.”
The guidelines are not edicts and were crafted with flexibility and responsiveness in mind as the situation continues to evolve. The guidelines suggest three different paths for school systems, and they are categorized by the “level of community spread” with regard to the coronavirus.
The three designated levels of which coronavirus has affected a community include “substantial spread,” “minimal/moderate spread” and “low/no spread.”
Depending on where each school system falls determines which guidance they should consider.
Guidelines address aspects such as “practicing prevention, transporting students, entering school buildings, serving meals, transitioning between classes and spaces within the school, conducting large group gatherings, supporting teaching and learning and protecting vulnerable populations in areas of substantial, minimal to moderate, and low to no spread of COVID-19.”
Under the “path for recovery” for example, communities with substantial spread of coronavirus are urged to keep schools closed and continue distance learning. Those affected are urged to isolate, and facilities are to remain closed for at least 14 days and undergo a deep cleaning.
Minimal or moderately affected areas can opt for a traditional classroom setting with emphasis placed on social distancing. There is also a hybrid model that suggests alternating schedules for students within the same building. Guidance also includes minimal use of facilities and the continued use of distance learning.
Those communities with low to no spread of coronavirus can reopen under the traditional model using preventative practices, policies and protocols.
“We all want to open schools, but our primary goal is to provide the safest possible environments for students, teachers and staff,” said Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner Toomey. “DPH and DOE share a long history of partnership and collaboration and have worked together to develop these guidelines for healthy learning opportunities as we navigate this COVID-19 pandemic.”