DeKalb County School Board members wavered on plans to resume in-person learning for months. One official, warning against reopening too soon during the pandemic, said she “will not have blood on my hands.”
But with state officials preparing to open coronavirus vaccinations to teachers, most board members now appear to support reopening school buildings to in-person classes for the first time since last March.
“We’ve been out for 11 months,” said Vickie B. Turner, board chair. “People felt that we were not looking to the best interests of the children, but we were.”
The district said this week that students in prekindergarten through second grade, as well as sixth and ninth grades, can return to schools on March 9. Students in the remaining grades can return March 15. Families also can keep their children in online-only learning.
“I’m still not for it,” board member Joyce Morley said of the reopening. “I’m not comfortable with it at all.”
Morley said some teachers are still afraid of resuming face-to-face classes until they are vaccinated and more safety measures are in place in buildings.
Diijon DaCosta, a board member who voiced concern about reopening earlier this month, said in a prepared statement that the district “has diligently strategized and continues to develop a working [safety] strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
He also cheered the news that the governor was opening vaccines to teachers and school employees next month.
Neighboring school districts in the metro Atlanta area experienced intermittent closures due to COVID-19 outbreaks this school year. Eight metro area districts have reported more than 12,000 known cases of COVID-19 since the school year began.
DeKalb board member Allyson Gevertz also said the reopening decision is supported by board. Last September, she voiced concerns about reopening too soon because of the health risks to teachers.
DeKalb school board member Marshall D. Orson said the reopening plan “is not a static decision by any means” and guided by recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re comfortable with this decision,” he added.
DeKalb school board members Anna Hill and Deirdre P. Pierce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Blair Brady, an Ashford Park Elementary School parent, said recently she’s thrilled DeKalb is reopening schools.
“All my daughter wants is to see her teachers in person and do her work without being in front of a computer screen,” Brady said. “There is no replacement for in-person interaction for learning.”
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
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