Clayton County school leaders said Monday they plan to give the district’s staff a $2,000 pandemic bonus at the end of March.
Calling the move “hazard pay” for workers, Clayton Schools Superintendent Morcease Beasley said, “We are proud to provide our employees with this one-time pandemic bonus as a show of appreciation for their continued dedication to our students and school system during this unusual time. We will use the funds from Governor Kemp and local funds as needed to ensure that every employee receives the pandemic bonus.”
The Clayton Board of Education approved the funding at its Monday meeting where leaders also said they hope to offer in-person instruction sometime this academic year. But Beasley said that while county COVID-19 infections are falling, they have not decreased enough to bring students back to building classrooms.
“We are still looking at health data from local and state officials regarding the COVID-19 cases in our county,” Beasley said. “As we continue to monitor the data and experience a decrease in positive cases, we are becoming increasingly optimistic that we will be able to return face to face sooner rather than later. However, we will not jeopardize the safety of our students and employees by acting prematurely.”
Clayton is just one of a few districts in metro Atlanta that have not offered in-person instruction in school buildings. On Feb. 13, the school system said Clayton had 724 positive cases per 100,000 county residents. Beasley has said he wants that number to drop to 100 cases or fewer per 100,000 residents to allow face-to-face classes.
About the Author
