The 2020-2021 school year will begin just like the previous year ended, with many of metro Atlanta’s children learning from home rather than the confines of a classroom. Teachers will check in virtually — via some video conferencing software allowing them to see the dozens of children they would normally engage with through rows or groups of desks.
Rising COVID-19 infections in the state are to blame, as many district leaders began the summer making plans to return to classrooms, only to see the numbers as too dangerous for face-to-face instruction.
The plans are constantly evolving. Gwinnett County Public Schools announced on Aug. 4 it would begin bringing students back for face-to-face instruction on Aug. 26. Fulton County Schools also has announced plans to bring students back for in-person learning after Labor Day.
As of now, several smaller districts will still make a run at in-person instruction, offering parents the option for face-to-face or virtual instruction, or a hybrid of the two.
News and updates are posted on the AJC Education news page. You can find news and resources about COVID-19 in Georgia on the AJC Coronavirus news page.
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 24)
- Teachers: Remote (teachers can work from classrooms with principal approval)
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 12)
- Teachers: On site (teachers can work from classrooms with principal approval)
- Masks: Other (When social distancing is not possible)
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: Both
- Masks: Other (Encouraged, required in buildings when social distancing is not possible, mandatory on buses)
Cherokee County School District
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: On time (Aug. 3)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: Remote (teachers may work from classrooms if they need)
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 10)
- Teachers: Both (teachers must check with principals for individual school plans)
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: Both
- Masks: Expected
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 13)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: Remote
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 13)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Expected
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: On time (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Mandatory
Gwinnett County Public Schools
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 12)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 24)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Mandatory
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 17)
- Teachers: Both
- Masks: Encouraged
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: On time (Aug. 4)
- Teachers: Both
- Masks: Mandatory
Paulding County School District
- Learning: Hybrid
- Start: On time (Aug. 3)
- Teachers: On site
- Masks: Other (optional)
Rockdale County Public Schools
- Learning: Virtual
- Start: Delayed (Aug. 24)
- Teachers: Remote
- Masks: Other (n/a)
