HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Henry County Schools said its virtual learning will continue to apply to all students through Feb. 5, pushing back what was going to be the return of in-person learning by about two weeks.
"Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis and other leaders in the community, including healthcare, hospital, and emergency management agency officials, have continued regular communications to keep each other informed of the current strain of the COVID-19 community spread throughout Henry County and what can be done to help mitigate the spread of the virus and ease the safety burdens being experienced by so many," a release sent out Monday said. "The latest decision was agreed to as one such mitigation effort."
Henry County's decision comes as teachers innumerous metro Atlanta school districts have resisted the decisions to bring students back to class. Despite a recent drop in COVID-19 levels in Georgia, they remain generally higher than at any point last year.
Thousands of students in the Atlanta Public Schools system went back to in-person classes on Monday, even as the district softened its own return timeline by pushing back when older students would come back.
Henry County's return of its own students, albeit later now, on Monday, Feb. 8.
“Even in a remote setting, our teachers and students continue to show great resiliency in keeping instruction and learning going at the highest levels,” Davis said in a statement.
“Upon the successful conclusion of the next two weeks of remote learning, we look forward to the opportunity to once again welcome back students to our buildings starting the second week of February while also maintaining the remote learning option for families who prefer to remain at home," the statement added.
According to Henry County, on-campus learning allows for students with last names starting with A through M to return to campus on Mondays and Tuesdays, while students with last names starting with N through Z can return on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Under this, Phase 2 of the county's plan, Fridays will be done with remote learning and independent work for students.
The district said it will remain in Phase 2 of its return plan for two weeks – Feb. 8 through Feb. 11 and Feb.22 until Feb. 26 (Winter Break will proceed as planned).
The district plans to move to Phase 3 on Monday, March 1, which incorporates Monday through Friday in-person learning for all PreK-8th Grade students, and a split schedule for 9th through 12th Grade.
Phase 4 on Monday, March 8 would return high school students to Monday through Friday in-person learning.