Updated numbers released this week by the Cobb County School District show more than half of its parents want their children to return to the classroom for face-to-face learning this semester.
According to the district, 52% of households representing 56,284 students have indicated they want their children back in school this semester. The district also reported that 38% of households representing 41,036 students chose to continue with the remote learning option. Ten percent of households representing 10,296 students did not respond to its survey, the district’s numbers show.
The district’s previous report released Sept. 21 had 49% of households selecting in-person learning and 35% choosing the virtual option. Another 16% provided no response. The school district said students and families will have a chance to make their choice for the second semester in December.
Cobb County schools, the state’s second largest district with about 112,000 students, will begin the first phase of its reopening plan on Monday, Oct. 5. The district will reopen classes to students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and kindergarten through 12th grade special education students.
Students will be in class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and the district will reserve Wednesdays for deep cleaning of buildings, buses and other high-touch areas.
The Cobb school district will require masks to be worn on school buses and in buildings and classrooms for students, educators and staff. Social distancing guidelines will be practiced whenever possible, and students' desks will be spaced to minimize contact. Hand sanitizing stations will be provided in multiple locations throughout schools, and district staff will implement rigorous daily cleaning practices in buildings and on buses.
Students will be able to eat their meals in cafeterias, but they will have to maintain social distancing while retrieving their trays and sitting at tables.
Teachers will be responsible for educating both in-person and remote students at the same time. They will have laptops with cameras and equip themselves with Bluetooth microphones so students at home can see and hear them, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale previously said.
The district began the academic year Aug. 17 with virtual-only classes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sixth through eighth grades are scheduled to start Oct. 19 and high school students are set to go back Nov. 5. The school district said students and families will have a chance to make their choice for the second semester in December.
As of Thursday, Cobb County has 19,829 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 427 deaths and 1,791 hospitalizations. The two-week case rate now hovers around 107 per 100,000 people. Two weeks ago on Sept. 17, Cobb’s two-week case rate was 174 per 100,000 people. Dr. Janet Memark, district director of the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Department, has said numbers greater than 100 cases per 100,000 people indicates high community spread.
Read more about Cobb County schools’ reopening plan by visiting the district’s website.
