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Back 2 School: Thousands more students in 8 districts heading back to class Thursday

ATLANTA — Thousands more students across eight metro Atlanta school districts are getting ready for their first day of school on Thursday.

Districts heading back Thursday morning include: Calhoun City Schools, Coweta County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, Gilmer County, Gordon County and Towns County.

While it’s not the first day of their school year, Gwinnett County students in grades 2-5, 7-8 and 10-12 will head back to the classroom for their first day of in-person learning on Thursday.

Coweta County Schools

Coweta County Schools are unveiling a brand new Northgate High School for students, complete with new security measures. Visitors will have to be buzzed into the school after speaking with someone on a video doorbell.

The new Northgate High School comes after half a dozen buildings at Newnan High School were torn down over the summer. Classes are still going on for the next two years in the remaining buildings.

Fayette County Schools

Fayette County is also unveiling a new middle school: J.C. Booth Middle School. The former building where Booth Middle School was housed is being transformed into the Center of Innovation for healthcare and film pathways with Southern Crescent Technical College. Clayton State University’s Fayette campus will also be housed in the building for Fayette County’s dual enrollment students.

All students will no longer receive free breakfast and lunch through the school district. Some students will still qualify for free or reduced lunch.

BACK 2 SCHOOL

Forsyth County Schools

Forsyth County is continuing the trend of opening new schools for the 2022-2023 school year. The $28 million New Hope Elementary in Cumming is welcoming students for the first time on Thursday.

The school for 900 students features wide hallways, raised windows to make it difficult to see inside and a magnet interlocking system that allows teachers to rip off a magnet to lock the doors in case of an emergency.

Calhoun City Schools

Calhoun City Schools are providing basic school supplies, like pencils, paper, binders, erasers and more, for all students throughout the year, hopefully taking some of the burden off of parents.