MACON, Ga. — Earlier this week, Bibb Schools Superintendent Curtis Jones announced staff will return to the classroom Thursday with students to follow a week later.
Porter Elementary third grader Calla Kinn says she understands why the Bibb County School District started the second semester virtually.
"It's been a little bit different. They have been doing a great job trying to keep us safe and everything," she said.
Now, she and her mother Amy are ready to go back to face-to-face instruction.
"It's the right decision for us. They're excited about seeing their friends and teachers, and I think it makes a big difference to be in-person," said Amy.
Superintendent Curtis Jones says having staff return first will give them time to prepare for the return of the 13,500 students coming back in-person.
"At one point, the cases per 100,000 were over 1,200. It's now down more than 50% and with that we believe that it is safe for students and staff to be able to come back to school," Jones said.
The district's parent survey results showed a demand for in-person return. Central High principal Emanuel Frazier says their numbers increased from fall.
"I'm expecting about 405 students, which is slightly less than 50% of our student population, but that's up from when we came back. Originally we only had about 230 students come back in November, and so that number has almost doubled," Frazier said.
"If a student refuses to wear a mask, we're going to send them home. If a person has symptoms -- because we're taking temperatures everyday -- we're going to monitor that [and] ask questions," Jones said.
In addition to the school district ordering desk shields, they're also installing air ionization systems in each school's HVAC system.
"We've got processes. We've got protocols. We know that nothing beats having a teacher in that room everyday," Frazier said.
Jones says they've limited every class to no more than 20 students to allow for social distancing.
He's also working with medical professionals so they can be ready for when teachers can get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The district still offers the virtual option. They have just under 8,000 students who will continue working from home.
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