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Gwinnett County NAACP calling for virtual learning
Students in Gwinnett County returned to the classroom this week. Leaders are asking for two weeks of virtual learning to look out for students, faculty and staff.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - As some students gear up to head back to school This week some community leaders hope to start the year virtually.
The Gwinnett County NAACP published a letter asking the county school board to revert to virtual learning for a short time as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
They are asking for the district’s first two weeks to be virtual.
"A short-term delay will help for long-term positive results," Penny Poole said.
Gwinnett NAACP President Penny Poole is pleading with Gwinnett County Public Schools leaders to reverse plans for the start of the second semester.
"To put all of these people in the room is to the detriment to the children and to the teachers," Poole said.
Gwinnett teachers went back into the building Wednesday with students expected to grace the halls Thursday.
"We are speaking of a position of advocacy. People contacting us. We contacted the community. We contacted our partners," Poole said
Poole says the organization has heard complaints from parents, faculty and staff who are wishing for a change.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there are over 133,000 confirmed cases in Gwinnett County alone and over 1,400 deaths reported.
Poole believes many voices are not being heard.
"We have an outcry from the black community specifically from my family who have been double vaccinated. We have been exposed. We had four out of five people test positive for covid during the holiday season," Poole said.
A representative for Gwinnett County Public Schools released this statement:
"Reflecting CDC guidance, Gwinnett County Public Schools has prioritized in-person instruction as the best way to serve our students and meet their needs. This focus, along with the continued use of layered mitigation strategies in our schools, has allowed us to safely serve our students in the school setting.
In fact, students are safer in schools during periods of pervasive community transmission as they benefit from precautions and demonstrate behaviors they may not use outside of school. As a result, spread within our school buildings has been very infrequent and unlikely. For the most part, illness among staff and students has been transmitted in the community rather than in a school setting.
Safety is always a top priority for our school district. However, student safety is affected by a number of factors in addition to COVID-19. Serving students in the school building ensures that we can provide additional critical services to students to address mental health issues, offer wraparound support for students who are in homeless situations or in foster care, support our special education students, meet food insecurity needs, and be mindful of issues tied to childcare and working families.
GCPS leaders will continue to monitor the current COVID situation and its impact on staffing, operations, and our ability to safely serve students."
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