DeKalb Schools on Monday added another limitation on students due to rising COVID-19 infections in the east metro Atlanta county: winter sports.
The district said its annual winter athletic programs will not begin at their usual times in the coming months because of concerns over the pandemic, which has worsened in the past four weeks since seemingly leveling off in October.
“We are going to delay the start of the winter season as we had with the fall season, largely because of the spike in numbers,” said DeKalb Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris. “However we will continue with conditioning.”
The announcement came at the district’s monthly school board meeting. Leaders said county COVID-19 infection cases are still far above rates acceptable to offer in-person classes. DeKalb had on average more than 200 cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period. School leaders would like the number to be below 100 cases over a sustained period.
The district , along with Clayton County and Atlanta Public Schools, are offering virtual-only classes so far this academic year. Schools systems in Cobb, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties are offering a combination of in-person and remote learning.
DeKalb leaders did, however, unanimously approve the construction of a new school for children in the Dunwoody Chamblee areas. The new 950-student elementary school will be built on the former site of Shallowford Elementary, 4680 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Its $35 million cost will come out of E-SPLOST V funding.
Some parents wanted the district to hold off consideration of the new school until next month, saying DeKalb had given the public little information about its plans for the property and whether it would address school overcrowding in the area.
“We were disappointed that there wasn’t much communication to the public made about this really important vote,” parent Stacey Godwin said during public comment before the vote. “There has no been no opportunity for feedback.”
The district also updated the board on its efforts to prepare schools for in-person education if county COVID-19 numbers fall to acceptable levels. They include improvements to HVAC systems, outfitting buses with hand sanitizers and plans to replace water fountains with dispenser for bottled water.
Board member Vickie Turner praised superintendent Watson-Harris for sticking with conditions that would allow students back in buildings despite public pressure.
“This is not an issue of social economics, it’s not an issue of race. This is in the interest of the well-being of the children,” Turner said. “This is an unimaginable weight that we all carry trying to make the right decision."
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