ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools will be discussing its approach to returning to in-person classes tonight in a virtual town hall for parents on Facebook.
According to the event page on Facebook, the school system is "preparing for a return to in-person instruction as soon as the public health data indicates it’s safe," and APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring will explain some of her plans and explanations this evening.
"Join our Virtual Town Hall where APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring and other school administrators will discuss our phased approach, facilities preparations, instructional plans, and which students would return first if COVID-19 numbers trend down," the event page states. "We’re here to answer your questions and hear your feedback. Be part of the discussion!"
In recent weeks, 11Alive has received messages from parents in the district who are hopeful to see in-person classes resume - at least for some students. Dr. Herring said last week that she had heard the concerns of the public and that she and others were listening.
"They've asked very explicitly about pre-K and special ed - that's been on our radar," she told 11Alive. "They've asked for the choice or at least the understanding of knowing when we'll be able to come back to school ... and are they preparing? The answer is yes."
However, the school district, with roughly 52,000 students across 87 schools, has had to work on an appropriate plan for re-entry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other school districts of different sizes across the state have had mixed results in their reopening processes.
Schools have been a rising source of outbreaks in Georgia, according to state reports, even as overall reports of cases have trended downward significantly since early August.
So far, APS has been operating under an all-virtual format after initially looking at various hybrid models of in-person and online learning.
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