FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — When Fulton County students return to school after Thanksgiving break, it will all be remote for two days. The announcement was made during a school board meeting Thursday.
The district made the decision to allow teachers time to get COVID test results back before returning to the classroom. The rest of the semester will go back to either face-to-face or remote learning, depending on the parent’s decision.
Right now, the Fulton County Board of Health says the district is in a red zone, reporting 100 cases per 100,000 people.
Last week, two Fulton County schools shut down for at least a day after reporting positive COVID-19 cases.
It’s a small taste of what is starting to happen across the country.
Wednesday, New York mayor Bill de Blasio announced the nation's largest school district would completely shut down again - after the city saw a seven-day spike in cases.
Some metro Atlanta parents do not want to see the same happen here.
“I would not be happy that, not one bit," said Fayette County parent Rachelle Gerson. "My background is school counseling, so I know the importance of kids being in school. So, just the academics, the emotional and everything that goes with that is really important."
Meanwhile, some teachers want changes to be made to how districts are handling the pandemic.
“There is really no consistency," said Connie Jackson with the Cobb County Association of Educators. "You may have one school in East Cobb doing it one way and may have a South Cobb school doing it totally differently. And without that consistency you’re not giving employees and the rest of the staff any kind of equity."
She was one of about a dozen Cobb County teachers who gathered in protest, Thursday, to make four requests:
1. That the school district have a specific written policy as to what steps and data that they will follow during the pandemic.
2. Allow teachers with verifiable medical conditions to teach students virtually.
3. To not have virtual students and face-to-face students in the same class, so that teachers are not doing two jobs at once.
4. Give bus drivers masks for students who come on the bus without them and apply appropriate consequences who students who ignore the mask mandate.
In a statement to 11Alive, a Cobb County District Spokesperson said, “As the safety and health of our students and staff always is our first priority, the District continues to work closely with Cobb and Douglas Public Health on a daily basis. We continue to implement any and all health and safety protocols that keep our students and staff as safe as possible and are committed to striking the balance between quality education options for all of our students and student/staff safety."