All Georgia public schools, universities will close because of coronavirus, Kemp orders
Gov. Brian Kemp ordered all public elementary, secondary and post-secondary public schools to close from March 18-31 “in accordance with newly issues federal guidance.” Several local school districts said they would continue with their plans to provide online instruction.
The governor signed an executive order Tuesday, saying the decision was “critical to reducing local transmissions.” Most public schools and universities in Middle Georgia had already announced they were temporarily closing or moving classes online.
Bibb County Schools said Tuesday night that the district would continue with a plan to move classes online for the next two weeks before the district adjourns for spring break from March 30-April 4. The Georgia Department of Education confirmed the announcement only referred to school facilities, not online class work.
Monroe County Schools said teachers would provide instruction via their online Alternative Learning Days platform until March 27 and will communicate with parents and students about using the platform after that.
The announcement doesn’t impact Mercer University, since it’s a private school, but school officials said they would continue to monitor the situation.
The decision came after the federal government released new guidelines for battling COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon and the Georgia General Assembly granted Kemp expansive new powers to address the novel coronavirus pandemic. More than 120 Georgians have tested positive for COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 7:19 PM.
