ATLANTA — Monday night, incoming Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring hosted an English and Spanish virtual town hall online to talk about what the 2020-2021 school year could look like.
"The goal remains the same- that is to safely reopen our schools in August of 2020," said APS Program Director, Sherri Forrest.
That decision is based on the levels of community spread in Fulton and Dekalb counties over the next few weeks, and guidelines from the CDC and the Department of Public Health.
Right now there are 5 different scenarios:
There's 100 percent virtual, and there's traditional face to face which would require no or low risk of COVID in the community.
Then there are 3 different hybrid models:
Hybrid 1 uses A/B days and a 10-day rotation, so a student would go to school Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then learn online Tuesday and Thursday and then reverse that the next week.
Hybrid 2 is a tiered approach that gives face-to-face instruction to younger children and English speakers of other languages and also to students in transition years (like entering middle school and high school). That option maintains virtual learning for everyone else.
A third hybrid option is a phased-in approach that starts as virtual for all students and ends as face to face for all students.
Dr. Herring says their focus is on education but in this time of COVID-19, health comes first.
"To make a decision that is guided by health experts and governed by the best instructional practices we're able to do is also critically important," said Herring.
The school district still wants your feedback - there's a survey that is available online until the end of the month.
The final decision will be made in mid-July.
Complete virtual learning will also be provided as an opt-in option for any family who does not want to return in person.
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