WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. — Many parents are concerned about their children returning to in-person instruction in August, and Wilkinson County Schools has released its options.
Angie Coats helped her children make the transition to e-learning when Wilkinson County Schools closed, and now she's hesitant to send them back to in-person classes.
"I really do like the e-learning. Going into the school setting would be fine. I just think not right now. I think that not for the remainder of this school year anyway," she said.
She's concerned with the risk of exposing her child to COVID-19, if the district returns to in-person learning.
"If it's something that they want to try to push in 2021, then I'm more warm to that more so than them going right now," Coats said.
Superintendent Aaron Geter is listening to his parents and is looking into offering other instructional options other than returning to a full in-person schedule.
"Distance learning where the kids will be taught utilizing technology and they will not come to school at all. We will serve them at home, and then the last model is the hybrid model which we're considering where the kids will actually come to school a couple of days. We'll alternate different groups to stay below that minimum number of kids that need to be in the building," Geter said.
With the hybrid schedule, they would use one day to clean the building each week. They plan to enforce social distancing rules and safety precautions.
"Of course the spreading of the desks, requiring and asking the kids to provide themselves with masks and if not we'll provide those. We'll do temperature checks on the bus as well as when they enter and exit the buildings," Geter said.
Coats is grateful that the district is letting parents have a say on the options.
"When you hear these calls come through and they're wanting your opinion, wanting you to do a survey on whether your kids should stay at home, do remote learning, come to school some, answer those questions. It makes a really really big difference," Coats said.
Superintendent Geter says they did not give out devices to students this past spring for remote learning, but they plans to hand out a device for each student who needs one in the fall.
Parents can fill out applications on which instructional option they'd prefer on the district's website or pick up a copy at the board office.
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