DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Three weeks into the school year and COVID-19 is affecting school districts across metro Atlanta in different ways.
In DeKalb County, the demand for virtual learning grew so fast, they had to switch gears on how they are virtually instructing middle school students.
The district had been offering virtual learning through the Flex Academy for both middle and high school students, but once they hit capacity, they had to make a change.
It's news Cyntasia Coleman said she's not surprised to hear. Coleman's 10th-grade daughter has been virtual for two years. She said her child has faced problems with grades and assignments disappearing for days on end.
"I hate to say I'm disappointed in it, but they were not prepared for the volume of students that signed up," said Coleman.
In a letter sent home to parents on Friday, the district stated "due to the the demand for middle school students to participate in virtual learning exceeding the capacity at the district's Flex Academy, middle school students receiving virtual instruction will now be taught by teachers at their home school utilizing a hybrid model."
The district told 11Alive it will mirror how elementary schools are already teaching their students virtually through home schools.
It's a move Coleman hopes will give the high schoolers still in Flex the bandwidth and resources they need to stay on track.
"Where's her assignments, where are her grades? Because right now she's panicking about falling behind," said Coleman.