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Metro Atlanta

Georgia coronavirus: CDC recommendation won’t sway Clayton County to open schools

Clayton County Schools Superintendent Morcease Beasley says the district will stick with remote learning, despite new CDC recommendations to offer in-class instruction. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

Clayton County Schools Superintendent Morcease Beasley says the district will stick with remote learning, despite new CDC recommendations to offer in-class instruction. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By
Jan 28, 2021

Clayton County Schools Superintendent Morcease Beasley said Wednesday that the district will continue to operate remotely, even with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The Clayton County Public Schools Benchmark will remain,” Beasley said a day after the federal agency offered new guidelines. “The vaccine rollout to tier 1b must have the desired effect which should improve the data.”

The CDC on Tuesday said schools can reopen as long as districts adhered to social distancing and mask wearing. To do so, schools would have to limit eating in cafeterias and access to gyms, where ventilation is poor.

Clayton is one of the few districts in metro Atlanta that has not yet offered any in-person instruction this academic year. The school system said COVID-19 infections must fall to 100 cases or less per 100,000 people for six consecutive weeks before it will open buildings for classes.

ExploreCDC: Classrooms can reopen if schools and community embrace safety measures

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Leon Stafford covers Atlanta city government.

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