Education
Georgia college staff, students say dorm memo shows safety secondary
As students and teachers anxiously prepare to return to college campuses during a pandemic, some of them are buzzing about a letter a private dorm operator wrote to the state Board of Regents calling on Georgia State University and other schools not to limit the number of students staying in dormitories this fall due to […]
COVID-19 leaves mark on early school start with quarantines, viral photos
Quarantined classes and viral photos of crowded hallways are marking an anxious first week of school for Georgia students in some of the state’s earliest-opening school districts, especially in Cherokee County where more than 60 students and school employees were sent home so far after several positive COVID-19 tests. Georgia students are among the first […]
Georgia college students, faculty want more COVID-19 safety on campus
Nearly 1,000 graduate students and supporters from across the state are calling for changes to the University System of Georgia’s reopening plans. With many Georgia college students set to return to campuses this month for in-person instruction, the students’ open letter represents the latest tension between the university system, which is urging face-to-face classes, and […]
Return to school is fraught choice for families with special needs students
Georgia’s public schools are reopening this month even as COVID-19 continues its spread among people of all ages and some special needs families are facing tough choices between their children’s education and their health. Other parents say they haven’t been given any choice at all. Lainey Bogardus of Effingham County is all set to start […]
Rural Georgia’s back-to-school blues: COVID-19 spreads fast, internet’s slow
For some rural Georgia students, a heightened spread of COVID-19 combined with low internet availability could create disconnects that prevent them from doing online schoolwork. As of Tuesday, rural Hancock County between Atlanta and Augusta ranked No. 6 in Georgia for COVID-19 cases per capita. The county is home to fewer than 10,000 people, including […]
Ga. congressman wants to block aid for schools without in-person classes
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen introduced legislation Thursday that would block federal education funds for any school “that does not provide an option for students to attend classes, safely and in-person, at the beginning of [the 2020-2021] school year.” During a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on the challenges that face schools as they decide how to […]
‘Shocked and betrayed’ teachers resign after school board fails to ensure safety in reopening
After the state and local boards of education failed to act on behalf of teachers, several decided to walk away from education rather than risk COVID-19 infection. That the Georgia Board of Education chose to meet remotely Thursday morning because of safety concerns and COVID-19 only served to stir the ire of teachers who are concerned about […]
Teachers express relief after learning moves online but worry for colleagues
This story was updated at 12:15 p.m. Thursday with an additional comment from Cherokee County School District spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby on the system’s policies and guidelines for employee speech. Over 675,000 students in eight of Georgia’s 10 largest school districts will start the fall semester virtually. Those districts: Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton and Henry […]
Georgia’s college towns brace for the return of in-person classes
CARROLLTON – Residents seeking fresh seafood or a Mai Tail are still coming out to Chef Tano Phommasith’s Little Hawaiian in Carrollton, but not in the numbers they were before the pandemic. “We were averaging, before the pandemic, about roughly 2,200 customers a week, and closing on Sunday,” Phommasith said as lunchtime customers in this […]
Schools going digital, but Kemp says ‘kids need to be in the classroom’
This post was updated at 5 p.m. July 17 to include comment from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Georgia school districts should open classrooms for face-to-face instruction this fall, Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday, which runs counter to the unfolding plans of most of the state’s largest school systems. “I understand the concerns from […]
Substitute teachers could be scarce if coronavirus spreads in classrooms
Tricia Latulippe is a substitute teacher for two Cherokee County elementary schools where she’s missed spending time with children and is looking forward to going back in August — but she has reservations. “How is it possible to social distance in a classroom of 25 to 30?” she said. “Instead of saying ‘no talking,’ it […]
Georgia schools set new guidelines for closings, quarantine
Georgia schools could close their doors for more than two weeks if a student or teacher tests positive for COVID-19, according to revised guidelines from the state Department of Education released Monday. “The updates will equip districts and schools to mount a targeted response based on confirmed COVID-19 cases or exposures within a school community,” […]