Will Atlanta Public Schools resume in-person learning in January?

By Collin Kelley

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring says her administration is “working diligently and passionately” in preparation for in-person learning in January 2021, but a spike in COVID-19 cases may ultimately scupper the plan.

With Georgia back in the coronavirus red zone as cases rise, there’s also uncertainty over whether President-elect Joe Biden will institute a nationwide lockdown. That could mean APS students remain at home until spring or possibly until the 202122 school year.

Nevertheless, parents received another “intent to return” declaration form last month. The same options created for October’s abandoned return plan were still offered: face-to-face learning and two forms of virtual learning.

“We remain in substantial spread of COVID, so we will continue to operate in a virtual capacity,” Herring said at the November meeting of the Atlanta Board of Education. “The district is preparing for a January 2021 return.”

Herring said there would be more virtual town hall events for parents as the district determines whether face-to-face learning will resume.

APS had hoped to begin returning to students to face-toface learning in phases from Oct. 26 through Nov. 16. However, COVID-19 cases began trending up and parents and teachers expressed concern about safety.

The delayed return has divided APS parents, especially in Buckhead, which has become a hotbed of back-to-theclassroom advocacy. At least two grassroots organizations of parents, teachers and staff are pushing for and against the delay.

A Facebrook group calling itself “Let Atlanta Parents Choose” put pressure on APS to reopen classrooms, event taking a billboards in the city.

However, an opposing parents’ group, “We Demand Safety APS,” submitted a letter to Herring with more than 3,500 signatures from parents, teachers, and staff members demanding classes remain virtual.

In early November, Herring herself tested positive for COVID-19 and went into quarantine.

City Schools of Decatur and DeKalb County Schools also postponed a return to in-person learning until January, while Fulton County Schools moved to a hybrid system in the fall.