CDC releases new guidelines on kids in class while schools plan for 2021-2022
COBB COUNTY, Ga - Every parent of a school-aged child has felt the craziness of school during a pandemic. Districts across the state are now preparing for what school will look like in the 2021-22 school year.
The two largest school districts, Cobb and Gwinnett, released a glimpse of what they plan to do this coming school year. At the same time, the CDC released new guidelines about kids in the classroom.
In Cobb County, children will learn five days a week, currently, they only have class four days. There will also be an option of face-to-face or virtual. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said it won't be the virtual they've been using.
"My top priority for the virtual option was to remove the concurrency of online learners with face-to-face learners, with the same teacher, at the same time," said Ragsdale.
That's exactly what teachers have been begging for over the past year.
"That really is the most important thing to us right now, that teachers don't have to do two jobs at the same time. It wasn't fair to the students, it wasn't fair to the teachers, and it possibly accounted for some of the learning loss," said Connie Jackson, President of the Cobb County Association of Educators.
In Gwinnett County, all students will be scheduled for in-person instruction, but families will be given the option to opt-out. In that case, students may be taught by educators from different schools within the county.
Both districts made their plans public just before the CDC released new guidelines for schools.
The CDC said they can push those desks closer together, three feet for elementary school kids. That's as long as masks are in place, everyone is washing their hands and other preventative measures are in place. Middle and high school students can also be three feet apart unless there's a high risk of an outbreak.
Overall, parents seemed pleased with what the school year may look like.
"Face-to-face has worked well for us, I know the CDC has come out with the three feet thing, so maybe that will change things a little bit in the school," said John Powell who has four children in the Cobb County School District.
Britt Bowers who has two children in Cobb County Schools said she likes that families will have a choice.
"There's a lot of parents that want face to face, and those who want virtual, so having the option will be good," said Bowers.
Families in both school districts will know more about the plans for the coming school year on Monday.
All publicly available details about online learning for Cobb students will be found at www.cobblearningeverywhere.com
Gwinnett will send information through SchoolMessenger.
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