Georgia School Boards Association executive director Valarie Wilson said she learned Wednesday that the state board would be discussing the matter, but had confirmation Thursday morning before the meeting that the issue was being discussed. removed from the agenda.
She said a statewide push to delay school “opposes” the principle of local control. Local leaders know their communities better, she said. “I don’t see how the mandates they wait until September 8 help them,” he said, adding that this was a last-minute move that would catch many school councils off guard.
“I can only assume that they began to be rejected by the districts,” he said of Thursday’s pushback. “I know I heard from some who were very upset.”
Kemp’s office had no explanation why the proposal was rejected.
“This week, we solicited comments from superintendents on this idea, but the state board made no move on it,” Kemp spokesman Cody Hall said in an emailed statement after the board meeting. “We will continue to work with educational leaders to ensure a safe and productive learning environment for all of our students in these unprecedented times.”
Kemp and State Schools Superintendent Richard Woods have been encouraging schools to open in person.
Last week, when one Atlanta metropolitan school district pulled out online after another, the couple held a press conference at the State Capitol with Toomey to make an appeal: They said they were weighing the health risks with economic factors.
Without in-person education, many parents of younger children will not be able to leave their homes to go to work unless they can find child care.
“We have to protect the livelihoods of people in our state,” said Kemp. “We are fighting two battles.”
Toomey said there would be some coronavirus infections among students and teachers and that the state was doing everything possible to obtain protection resources.
Woods, a former school teacher and school administrator, said he had opened schools 22 times during his career. “I can guarantee that the children will be safe. The teachers will be safe. “
On Tuesday, Woods released a statement clarifying that opening decisions still depended on local superintendents and elected school boards. “Let me be very clear: School districts and communities will continue to have my full support and commitment on whatever path they choose,” her statement said.
Health experts in Georgia have been warning of the danger of opening schools if the spread of COVID-19 is not under control.
Dr. Wendy Armstrong, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine, described Georgia on Thursday as a “hot spot.” She suggested that community leaders wait to open schools until they see a reduction in the number of local cases over a two-week period and a decreasing percentage of positive cases among those examined.
School districts can open whenever they want, and many have delayed their openings by a week or two until mid-August. The state notion of a delay in September came amid backlash from teachers who fear returning to school as COVID-19 cases increase.
An additional delay would have sent parents to seek childcare.
There are several teacher advocacy groups in Georgia, and the largest, the Georgia Professional Association of Educators, surveyed more than 16,000 teachers and other educators and found that many wanted to delay the reopening even though they did not choose a particular date.
They hoped that a later start would give the state time to reduce the spread of the virus and its school districts time to refine their security plans. Teachers are not paid to work in the summer, and many wanted to return to their classrooms a week or two before students to discover how social distancing would work in their classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and other normally crowded areas.
Many districts are already delaying their reopening dates. The Forsyth County School Board decided Tuesday to delay its opening by one week until August 13. The Ben Hill district in south central Georgia had planned to open on Wednesday, but is now planning on August 3. Jackson County north of Athens is opening August 12, partly online.
About 1 in 4 parents chose an online option, and the rest decided to send their children to a classroom. If the state had recommended a month late, the district would have stuck to its start date by switching all classes online through Sept. 8, Jackson County Superintendent April Howard said.
“It wouldn’t have been terribly damaging,” said Howard. “It may have made things a little easier. It would have given us more time to prepare. ”
