Bibb County Schools plans return to classrooms after two weeks of remote learning
The Bibb County School District is planning for students and teachers to return to classrooms Monday after going to virtual education for two weeks due to area COVID-19 cases.
The district moved to “asynchronous” learning, meaning classes weren’t be taught live, after Labor Day. Teachers uploaded lessons ahead of time for students to complete. The decision was prompted by the spread COVID-19 cases in the community and the holiday.
“We have a developed a data-driven process for identifying the potential spread of COVID-19 in BCSD classrooms, grade cohorts, and schools,” Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones said in a press release. “Using this process this school year, we have been able to determine some classrooms, parts of a grade cohort, and schools were best protected from COVID-19 spread by going virtual for a limited period of time.”
Jones said the latest COVID-19 data from the state health department indicates new cases in the community and across the state have plateaued and are trending downward. Georgia reported 4,227 new cases Wednesday and 166 deaths, higher than the June average but lower than the 7-day moving average in recent weeks.
“We are implementing multiple strategies throughout our district that we believe increase the level of safety in our schools that others have not fully implemented,” Jones said.
The district has mandated masks while inside school buildings and is working to implement weekly COVID-19 testing for students and staff by next month. Pfizer vaccines will also be available for students over the age of 12 with parental consent. Almost 75% of staff are vaccinated, according to the district.
Bibb County Schools had started sending classes and schools to virtual learning as cases increased due to the delta variant before issuing a district-wide change. That move was necessary, Jones said.
“Our best method for determining when the district should go virtual remains using the community spread information provided by the North Central Health District and the Georgia Department of Public Health,” he said.
The Bibb County school board meets tonight at 6:30.