LAMAR COUNTY, Ga. — In a heartfelt letter on social media, Lamar County Schools announced it would impose a two-week pause for its students.
The seemingly abrupt halt is due to the county seeing a spike in new COVID-19 cases reported. They said the pause will cover 10 scheduled school days and will give them a 17-day break to deal with quarantines and confirmed cases.
The district mentioned in the letter the children are behind academically, but it is almost impossible for them to ensure that all of the students can get to and from school every day and still give them quality instruction in a safe and healthy environment.
"Between positive cases and quarantines, we are unable to cover our school bus routes, our kitchen staff is incomplete, and we cannot properly supervise all classrooms," the letter states. "Our food supply has also been impacted. We currently have 36 staff members out (district-wide) and our daily student absences are exceeding 600."
The two-week pause begins Monday, Aug. 23. The district said classes would resume again on Tuesday, Sept. 7, with a four-day school week. Parents will also be offered a temporary virtual option with the four-day schedule, which will go through fall break, Oct. 8.
No new assignments will be issued during the pause; students can work on any make-up assignments as needed. However, extracurricular events will continue as scheduled.
All 12-month staff and school nutrition staff will report on Monday. All other staff will report Monday, Aug. 30, the district said.
"We are praying for safety and good health for our community as we work together to get through these challenging times," the letter said.