Fingers crossed as classes resume

Fingers crossed as classes resume

  • Press photo/Linda Mathias - Kim Clark teaches her third-grade class at East Franklin Elementary with nine students in the classroom and six joining in online.
    Press photo/Linda Mathias - Kim Clark teaches her third-grade class at East Franklin Elementary with nine students in the classroom and six joining in online.

    The second half of the school year has begun, and schools are mostly following the same schedules they had before Christmas break.

    During a special called meeting of the Macon County Board of Education on Jan. 30, school and health officials discussed what they had observed while trying to make decisions about the next semester. The board members agreed that most parents would prefer in-person instruction for their children.

    Fortunately, public health director Kathy McGaha felt that current numbers of COVID-19 cases and quarantines were still at a level where students could assemble for face-to-face classes.

    “We just need to keep touching base every day and communicating with each other like we’ve done all year,” McGaha said at the Jan. 30 meeting. 

    Board members stressed that the situation could change quickly depending on the COVID numbers. At the time of the meeting, there were 136 quarantining students and 26 who were confirmed positive, as well as 15 staff members quarantining and seven who were confirmed positive. On the first day of school, seven more cases were confirmed among five different schools and the administrative office. 

    Numbers didn’t rise drastically between the meeting and the first day of school, but health department officials wouldn’t rule out the potential for the numbers to increase with future updates to their data.

    “We’re looking at a potential drop in the number of available staff by the beginning of next week,” board chairman Jim Breedlove said at the time of the meeting. “We just have to make the best decision that we can at this time.”

    Franklin High School has adopted a new system in which students whose last names begin with the letters A through L will attend school in person on Mondays and Wednesdays, those whose names begin with the letters M through Z will attend school in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the two groups will alternate going in person on Fridays. 

    All other schools have resumed the same format they had in place ahead of the break, meaning that elementary schools will host students Monday through Thursday and other schools will stay on their hybrid virtual and in-person schedule. However, superintendent Chris Baldwin was very clear that the board will be watching for another spike and might convene to change plans at any time if they feel that the safety of students and staff would be compromised. 

    “I know that’s a hardship to parents who are trying to make plans, but I hope they’ll understand,” Baldwin said.