Henry County Schools on Friday opted to go to a virtual-only school day when the 2020-2021 academic years begins Aug. 17.
At a called meeting of the board of education for the south metro Atlanta district, the school system pushed back the first day of classes from Aug 3.
Members also approved a virtual-only format over other options, such as bringing students back to class for a traditional full eight-hour school day or a combination of a traditional and virtual school day.
Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis said a majority of parents preferred the virtual-only option because of concerns over surging coronavirus infections in Georgia. Henry County alone added 600 new cases of COVID-19 infections since the district sent out surveys asking parents to choose an option on July 8.
“We are in a pandemic,” Davis said. “And the information and the data changes absolutely every day. And every hour on most days.”
Henry’s move follows other districts in metro Atlanta that have opted to begin the new school year virtually because of spiking COVID-19 infections. Schools systems in Clayton, Fulton, Cobb and DeKalb counties and the city of Atlanta in recent days have announced starting the 2020-2021 academic year with virtual-only classes.
Board of Education Chairman Josh Hinton praised school leaders, though he said he wished students could have a traditional school day.
“This is just an impossible situation. There’s people on both side pulling you like Stretch Armstrong,” he said, referring to a popular child’s toy from the late 1970s.
The action will not impact the last day of school, which remains May 26, Davis said.
“It does not change any breaks and it does not change our last day of school at this time,” she said.
Davis, whose voice broke at times as she become emotional over the student milestones robbed by coronavirus last school year, said the district has spent weeks cleaning and altering buildings to make them safer. Those efforts include installing self-serve sanitizing stations throughout buildings, adding protective shielding in administrative offices and spacing desks apart in classes.
In the end, however, the district decided its preparation could not outweigh concerns over the current spread of the virus.
“I believe we have tried every single possible scenario to prepare and plan for campuses to be open,” Davis said. “At this time the conditions of COVID-19 are just not making that possible.”
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