A sharp uptick in coronavirus cases in Glascock County has forced the school system to return students to virtual learning.
“With almost no COVID-19 spread in the county and minimal spread across the CSRA over summer break, GCCS students and staff began the school year with high hopes of a normal year; however, after nine students and four staff members tested positive for Covid-19 and 99 students and 11 staff members were quarantined within the first week of school, it is clear that spread rates have increased dramatically in our community,” school officials said in a social media post.
The school system will implement a temporary transition of all students to virtual at-home learning beginning Aug. 9 and continuing until Aug. 20, with a tentative return to school date of Aug. 23.
School officials hope the temporary transition to virtual learning will allow the existing COVID-19 quarantines to expire and allow time for the spread of the virus to slow.
In addition, the school system will use this time to implement enhanced mitigation measures and reinstate a hybrid instructional model for the remainder of the fall semester.
Teachers will be contacting parents to inform them of the virtual learning plan. Parents of all affected students currently under quarantine have been notified.
“Please be mindful of the activities that you and your family engage in during this transition to ensure a safe return to face-to-face instruction,” school officials said.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Glascock county has a less than 30% vaccination rate.
Last year, Glascock County was the last county in Georgia that COVID-19 spread to.
HOW TO GET VACCINATED: COVID-19 has killed more than 30,000 Georgia residents. Don’t let yourself or your loved ones die from a preventable virus. COVID vaccines are free and widely available statewide without insurance or identification. To find a vaccination location or to schedule an appointment, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.
