In-Person Option Planned In Phases By Cobb County Schools

MARIETTA, GA — Three days after Cobb County parents demanded a back-to-class plan, they got one.

The only thing it doesn’t have is dates.

The Cobb County School District announced plans Tuesday to transition students from virtual to in-person instruction, bringing kids back to the classrooms a few grades at a time.

In phase one, kindergarten through fifth-grade students — along with some special-education students in all grades — will have the option to return for full-day in-person instruction. Phase two would allow sixth through eighth-grade students to return, and phase three would allow high-school students to return.

Each phase would follow the one before it by two weeks. Before each phase, parents will have the opportunity to choose either face-to-face or online instruction for their children.

“Public health data specific to Cobb County” will determine when phase one starts, according to the announcement.

The data, to be provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health and Cobb & Douglas Public Health, will include “the level of community spread, effective contact tracing, and efficient COVID-19 test timelines.”

While the plan promises to bring students back when the district can “safely offer a face-to-face classroom option,” precisely what that means in terms of hard numbers isn’t spelled out.

The complete plan is posted to the Cobb County School District’s website.

Cobb's plan is similar to one announced Monday by Gwinnett County schools, which mapped out a phased plan “depending on the COVID-19 conditions” in the county at that time. Unlike the Gwinnett plan, Cobb’s plan doesn’t even specify when phase one starts.

Announcement of the plan follows a heated rally Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Cobb County Civic Center, where several hundred parents and students demanded the option to be taught face to face.

School begins online only for Cobb County students on Aug. 17.

As of Wednesday, Cobb County has reported 12,489 positive tests for COVID-19 and 310 deaths from it, both numbers among the highest in Georgia. Most of the fatalities were older and with pre-existing health conditions, and only one Cobb County resident younger than 20 has died from the coronavirus. However, young people can carry it without symptoms and pass it to others who are vulnerable.

OTHER NEWS:

• False COVID-19 Test For Stafford Led To Family Harassment: Wife
• Coronavirus-Positive Student Forces 2nd Grade Class To Quarantine
• Photo Of Paulding Students Packed Into Hallway Goes Viral
• GA Man Contracts The Coronavirus 3 Times, 'Wear Mask' He Says
• Atlanta Mayor Opening COVID 19 Testing Center For City Workers