Superintendents with both the Hall County School District and Gainesville City School System said they will move forward with online learning as all of Georgia's schools remain closed to in-person learning through April 24.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Thursday, declaring all public elementary, secondary and post-secondary school building remain closed beyond the original mandated closure date of March 31. Some school districts had already extended their clsoure dates through April 3. All of Georgia's public colleges and universities remain closed for the rest of the semester.
Will Schofield, Superintendent for Hall County Schools, and Jeremy Williams, Superintendent for Gainesville City Schools, both issued statements saying students and staff would continue School From Home, with the exception of spring break. Both systems will be on spring break from April 6 through April 10.
"We have every intention of engaging students and advancing their learning for the duration of the closure, as well as for remainder of the school year,” said said Schofield in a statement released just after the governor issued the executive order. “Our past experience with digital learning prepared us well for this challenge, and our recent School-From-Home efforts have given us an opportunity to collaborate with each other and build upon that foundation. We are moving forward with learning.”
Williams said Gainesville families will receive additional details Friday on how the city school district will operate, but School From Home instruction along with meal distribution is part of the plan.
"Chromebooks were distributed yesterday to priority designees and [communication] will include next steps for secondary designees," Williams said.
School-From-Home and meal deliveries will not take place for either system during spring break, according to Schofield, but both will resume April 13 and continue at least through April 24.
