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Students, parents start transition to online learning amid coronavirus

GEORGIA — One by one, school districts across metro Atlanta are closing because of coronavirus.

Many of them are beginning to close on Monday.

The school closures across the United States are affecting an estimated 15 million students.

This can be an overwhelming time for parents and students.

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Channel 2’s Lauren Pozen went to Montgomery Elementary School in DeKalb County on Friday.

Parents could pick up hard copies of assignments if needed.

She did not see a lot parents Friday afternoon.

Everything is transitioning to virtual learning assignments next week.

This presents new challenges not just for the students, but parents too.

“We are a little nervous about it,” parent Melanie Snare said.

She has two young daughters, Mariah and Mackenzie, who are a part of Atlanta Public Schools.

Like thousands of other students, they will be learning from home online for at least the next two weeks because districts have shutdown schools over coronavirus concerns.

[LIST: Districts, colleges across Georgia cancel school amid coronavirus outbreak]

Snare told Pozen that they got a practice run last year during a couple snow days.

She says it is challenging, especially when you work a full-time job.

"I remember needing to be on conference calls and my daughter coming to me because she was at a point where she had questions, she's frustrated, this is my younger daughter, Mackenzie, she's frustrated because she couldn't get the answer, I’m frustrated because I needed to be on the call,” Snare said.

Pozen wanted to find out what parents can do to make this easier transition for both them and their children.

She spoke with education expert Kortney Greene, who says the most important thing is creating a schedule for your children.

“Making sure they understand what the plan is for just the week, you don’t have to have a plan for the whole month,” she said.

When the learning is over for the day, what next?

Snare's oldest daughter, Mariah, told Pozen her game plan.

“I definitely think I will be calling a lot of my friends because I will get bored, but I think I will be able to hang out with my family and watch movies,” she said.