Clayton County on Wednesday said nine of the district’s schools will switching to virtual learning beginning Thursday because of increasing numbers of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Kemp Primary, Kemp Elementary, River’s Edge Elementary, Michelle Obama STEM Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Eddie White Middle Academy, Roberts Middle School, Lovejoy High School and Elite Scholar’s Academy will pivot to online classes through Sept. 10.

The south metro district has moved 19 schools to remote instruction because of coronavirus this month. The district announced Tuesday that Forest Park Middle School would go virtual through Sept. 7.

The school system also said last weekend that Smith Elementary and Rex Mill Middle schools were pivoting to online classes.

In its advisory, the school system said, “The school district will continue to make decisions based on the best interest of all students and employees while monitoring ongoing matters relative to the pandemic.”

Clayton, like many school districts in metro Atlanta, has had to return to virtual learning as coronavirus infections have exploded across Georgia, especially the more dangerous delta variant. The district requires students and staff to wear masks.

The district has recorded 552 COVID-19 cases this month, according to its website. For the week ending Aug. 20, the district documented 287 cases. Of those, 266 were students, 21 were staff.

Fifteen metro Atlanta school districts recorded more than 6,600 COVID-19 cases last week.

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