Due to the increase of COVID-19 cases among staff and students at Beach, Islands and Johnson high schools, the Savannah-Chatham Public School System (SCCPSS) decided on Monday to switch all three schools to virtual learning for the rest of the week.
In a statement, SCCPSS said the district made the move to virtual learning because of COVID-19-related issues and the confirmed positive cases among staff and students that is impacting staff availability.
As of Jan. 5, the Coastal Health District reported 540 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Chatham County.
Although COVID-19 numbers have not been updated because schools have been closed since Dec. 17 for the winter break, COVID-19 infections began to slightly tick up just before the holidays. During the week ending Dec. 17, the school district reported 19 students and eight school personnel tested positive for COVID-19, a 15% increase in positive COVID-19 cases from the week ending Dec. 10. There were 322 students and 26 personnel in quarantine, a 175% increase over the prior week.
The district said extensive contact tracing procedures have been completed and all affected students and staff have been identified.
Starting tomorrow, students will have to log into the itsLearning portal for class assignments and should follow instructions from their teachers for virtual learning schedules. Athletic schedules, which include games and practices, could be cancelled, so student athletes should contact their coaches for schedule information.
The district also said staff at the three schools will continue to work in isolation from their assigned workstations and the schools will not be open for appointments.
The district plans to resume in-person classes on Tuesday, Jan. 18, but if the schedule changes, families will be contacted through the Parent Notification System.
"SCCPSS is committed to offering in-person learning this semester as we were able to do throughout the fall semester, but due to the rapid spread of COVID at this time, we ask our families to understand and prepare for health and safety conditions that may create rolling shifts to virtual learning. If there are situations that require adjustments that may impact family routines, we will notify you as soon as possible through all available communication channels. We encourage you to develop emergency plans for such situations. To ensure we are able to reach you immediately, please make sure school officials have accurate contact information for your family," the district said in an email.
Bianca Moorman is the education reporter. Reach her at BMoorman@gannett.com or 912-239-7706. Find her on Twitter @biancarmoorman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Three Savannah-Chatham high schools shift to virtual learning due to COVID-related staffing issues
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