Parents worried, frustrated over back-to-school plans across metro districts

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — As more school districts finalize plans for children to return to school amid growing cases of COVID-19, parents are more and more concerned about their children’s safety when they go back to the classroom.

On Thursday night, the Fulton County Schools board announced plans to safely phase in face-to-face learning after Labor Day. Everyone there starts virtually Aug. 17.

During Thursday’s board meeting, Fulton officials said they’ve heard criticisms about virtual learning in the spring and have learned from them.

“Provisions I will outline will provide a more rigorous and more connected learning environment for all our learners,” Jones said.

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What students in Fulton County can expect is daily live instruction, new grading standards and multiple subjects per day.

In Forsyth County, the district is offering parents a choice of in-person and remote learning.

School leaders delayed the first day by a week to finish training teachers for digital classes in response to parent feedback.

“They wanted their children to see their teachers more, and so we’re going to provide training to our staff because our leaning platform was usually just a verbal communication tool,” said Jennifer Caracciolo with Forsyth County Schools.

But across metro Atlanta, there are plenty of parents who worry about online classes for a variety of reasons.

“I’m a single parent. I’m in a one-income household. I work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said parent Stephanie Weeden.

In Gwinnett County, the state's largest school district, it decided this week to start the school year virtually.

Parents protested the decision Thursday, saying children with special needs should be in class or else they'll suffer.

“They essentially stripped our children who receive special education services of their right to a free and appropriate education,” parent Holly Terie said.

Fulton County announced parents will have an option for their children to continue virtual learning past Labor Day, but all of that will be based on the trends with COVID-19.

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Cox Media Group