Rockdale County Public Schools extends virtual learning another week
Rockdale County Public Schools announced Tuesday that it is extending remote learning for another week amid an explosion of coronavirus cases in the state.
The district resumed classes after winter break this week with online-only instruction. Under the new directive, classes will be held remotely through Jan. 14.
In-person instruction is set to resume on Jan. 18 after the federal holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I determined that an additional week of remote learning would be prudent as we continue facilitating testing and vaccinations for as many of our students, staff, and their families as possible,” Superintendent Terry Oatts said in a statement.
Meal delivery routes in the district will run Monday through Jan. 14, the statement said.
On Monday, the Georgia Department of Health did not report new coronavirus data “due to a large amount of data overwhelming the system.” On Friday, DPH reported 24,320 confirmed and probable coronavirus infections, the second-highest total of the pandemic.
Rockdale was among six metro Atlanta school districts that switched to virtual classes this week amid the COVID-19 surge. The others were Atlanta Public Schools and districts in Clayton, DeKalb, Forsyth and Fulton counties.
The state’s two largest school districts — Gwinnett County Public Schools and Cobb County Schools — are holding face-to-face instruction this week. Masks are required in Gwinnett schools and are optional but “strongly encouraged” in Cobb’s buildings.
About the Author
Susan Hogan is a contract politics editor based in Missouri. She previously was the AJC's education editor. Before joining the AJC in 2020, she was an editor at The Washington Post. As a reporter, she won numerous national honors, including a public service award for team reports on arson fires at South Carolina Black churches.
