WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. — Washington County School superintendent Rickey Edmond has decided the county's schools will operate using three learning options for students this year.
"We meet on a weekly basis -- that's every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. -- and our meetings typically last about three hours right now," said Edmond.
He says they've been hard at work coming up with fall instructional plans.
"Right now we have about 58% that have selected the traditional model, returning back in the fall in a face-to-face setting. We've had about 17% to select the hybrid model and about 25% to select the blended remote learning model [a combination of eLearning and physical instructional packets]," Edmond said.
With such varying numbers, he decided they're going to offer all three variations starting in August.
Students returning to in-person learning full and part-time will have to follow their guidelines.
"Constant temperature checks...about four temperature checks per day, starting with getting on the bus, entering the school building, around lunch time, and before you get back on the bus," Edmond said.
They'll also space out the desks, use outdoor classrooms and have one-way traffic flow in the hallways.
The part-time option is for parents who want to send their kids back to school gradually.
"Our hybrid model will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The teachers selected that they would like to have a consistency with the interaction with students," Edmond said.
With the state's weekly COVID-19 status updates, Edmond believes this is the best way to prepare for the upcoming school year.
"We put a lot of smart people around the table so that we can navigate and troubleshoot and plan, and we feel comfortable about where we are with our reopening," Edmond said.
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