Chattahoochee County changes its school reopening plan amid COVID-19. Here are the details
Another school district in the Columbus area has delayed reopening for the fall 2020 semester due to the surge of local coronavirus cases.
Chattahoochee County schools will reopen Sept. 9, one month after the previously scheduled date. ChattCo teachers will use that time for planning and professional development.
The Chattahoochee County Board of Education approved the revised plan recommended by superintendent Kristie Brooks during its meeting Tuesday night.
ChattCo schools will use a hybrid instruction model for at least the fall semester. Students will be assigned one day per week to attend in person, allowing schools to operate with greater ability for social distancing.
Families will be grouped to ensure that siblings attend on the same days. Bus transportation will be provided to students on their assigned day.
When not attending school in person, each grade level and subject will have assigned days and times for remote instruction. That information will be available online at each teacher’s page on the school’s website.
If newly reported COVID-19 cases decrease for 14 straight days, the school district will consider increasing the number of in-person instruction days within the hybrid model.
Families may choose another instructional model for their child by completing the application for their student to participate in the full-time virtual option.
Muscogee County School District superintendent David Lewis announced July 20 that Columbus public schools will reopen Aug. 17, one week later than scheduled, and conduct all classes virtually instead of allowing an in-person option for at least the first three-and-a-half weeks.
Brooks explained her recommendation in an emailed interview with the Ledger-Enquirer.
Because nearly 60% of ChattCo’s students live in neighboring counties or Fort Benning, “the spread of the virus must be analyzed from a regional approach,” she said. “Additionally, there are a number of local Cusseta students who reside with grandparents and live in close proximity to families with significant health issues. These factors played into our discussions as well as consideration for the already present health needs of many of our employees.”
After consulting with health experts, Brooks said, “It was determined that the data points . . . were of significant concern.”
For example, according to the L-E’s mapping analysis, as of July 23, ChattCo’s coronavirus cases per 1,000 residents was 13.2 and Fort Benning’s 23.9, while the rates in Columbus zip codes ranged from 9.4 to 12.9.
‘During the extended pre-planning and professional learning time of August,” Brooks said, “our team will be engaged in deep learning and application of interactive tools to better support our hybrid model.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 10:48 AM.
