Habersham County students now will report to school the day after Labor Day.
Monday night, the board of education voted unanimously to delay the first day of school until Sept. 8, to allow more preparation time during the COVID-19 pandemic to begin the 2020-2021 academic year.
The decision followed comments by three parents who attended Monday’s meeting, comments by each board member, and a lengthy justification for the delay by Superintendent Matthew Cooper.
The remainder of the school year calendar remains intact, with only the first day changing.
Cooper said some people will ask why the system does not start the school year online on the previously announced Aug. 21 start date.
“That’s not what’s best for our kids,” Cooper said. “Plus, we talked about readiness. Our schools need that time right now, especially to get this virtual option ready and to work out the schedule with the staffing.”
Cooper said 13 of the county’s 14 principals strongly supported the Sept. 8 start day to allow more preparation time.
Cooper said rushing to get students back in the classroom, as some systems in the state have done, is not good practice. But he also understands the frustrations expressed by some parents who have to work and are experiencing challenges with childcare and their child’s education.
“We do realize this creates some difficulties for some of our parents,” Cooper said. “If the delay means getting our students back in real classrooms, it will be worth it. Let me say this – and it’s just as important. If the delay means our students can stay in classrooms, that’s even better.”
While there is a lot of uncertainty right now, Cooper said the goal is to get students back in the classrooms and keep them there, with enough staff to serve them.
Unfortunately, Cooper said officials know an outbreak in a particular school or in the system could require the temporary shutdown of a school or the system as a whole.
As discussed at last week’s board of education work session, pre-k students in the county will begin school 10 days after the first day of classes for all others.
Cooper and board members called on the Habersham County community to wear masks, to maintain social distancing and to avoid large gatherings to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“We need the community to help get our kids back in school,” Cooper said. “We’ve got to pull together as a community – all of us. There’s almost 50,000 people in this county. It’s going to take everybody, whether you have kids in she school system or not.”
Cooper said he knows it is hard for teenagers to take COVID-19 seriously, but he encouraged parents to sit down and stress the importance to them.
“It’s time for all Habersham County to work together to meet this goal,” Cooper said. “There’s so much division out there right now. You’d think we could at least come together to get our kids back in school. How could anybody be against that or work against that goal?
“The school system is doing its part if we delay until after Labor Day,” Cooper said. “We will have done our part to help slow this thing down, but it’s going to take the community to do their part.”
Students riding buses will be strongly encouraged to wear masks, as the bus drivers will be. Students also will be encouraged to wear masks in school.
One of the changes for the upcoming year will be the doubling of elementary recess time. Additionally, physical education classes at all grade levels will be moved outside, weather permitting.
As of Monday, 89% of parents in the school system had selected in-person education for their children for the upcoming year. The other 11% selected online learning.
Parents have until the end of the week to contact their child’s principal to change the educational method for the first semester. Whatever decision they reach will include a signed commitment for the entire semester, with no exceptions.
Pam Dalton, director of virtual learning and secondary schools for the system, explained that the virtual program will be taught by Habersham County teachers, under the direction of Misty Turpin, a former principal in the school system.
“If you choose the virtual option, I think we’re going to have a good plan for you,” said Board Chairman Russ Nelson. “I hope it’s going to be good for you. Know we’re going to do the best we can. This is a once in a lifetime thing that I hope none of us ever see again. I can’t wait for the dumpster fire known as 2020 to end!”
More information on the delayed opening is available at www.habershamschools.com.
