DeKalb County School District to delay re-opening schools, virtual town hall set Jan. 14

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is delaying the return to school. Students will not return to face-to-face instruction on Jan. 19.

DCSD Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris and her team presented an update of the District’s re-opening plan during the Jan. 11 Board of Education meeting. District officials said decisions were carefully made given the magnitude of COVID-19 and school closures on teaching and learning.

The District will host a virtual town hall for parents with Superintendent Watson-Harris on Thursday, Jan. 14, 6 to 7 p.m.

A two-week notification will be shared with families prior to the expected date for return to in-person instruction for students. The District will focus on the implementation of mitigation strategies and school readiness.  Operations will continue to conduct key point inspections for school readiness:

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Hygiene Supplies
• Distribution of Cleaning Supplies & Procedures
• Socially Distant Seating and Space Arrangement
• Water Access
• Plumbing and HVAC Systems
• COVID-19 School Safety Signage

Officials said the priority is to ensure that all employees and students are safe to learn and thrive in DCSD school buildings. This will also include following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s five key mitigation strategies to further reduce the level of risk of COVID-19 such as:

• Consistent and correct use of masks
• Social distancing to the largest extent possible
• Hand washing
• Cleaning and disinfecting
• Contact tracing in collaboration with DeKalb Board of Health

For more  information about the re-opening plan, visitwww.dekalbschoolsga.org/school-reopening.