COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: What school districts are starting the spring semester virtually?

ATLANTA — As students get ready to head back to the classroom and cases of COVID-19 are on the rise, some school districts are taking precautions against the spread of the virus.

Some districts are choosing to begin the spring semester with virtual instruction in the hopes the surge in cases will subside.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Fulton County Schools are supposed to provide an update to parents on whether or not they plan to utilize virtual learning on Friday afternoon.

Atlanta Public Schools

Saturday afternoon, Atlanta Public Schools announced a change in their previous plans. Students will begin classes virtually starting Tuesday Jan. 4 and going through Friday, Jan 10.

APS is requiring all staff members to report to their work locations on Jan. 3 for mandatory COVID-19 testing unless they are ill. They will have virtual learning devices available to students who need them beginning Monday Jan. 3. The individual schools will notify students of the details and availability.

All athletic and extracurricular activities will be suspended during the virtual week.

Students and families are eligible to pick up five day meal kits starting Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m to 1p.m. at the following locations.

• Carver High School | 55 McDonough Boulevard, SE
• Douglass High School | 225 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, NW
• Garden Hills Elementary School | 285 Sheridan Drive, NE
• Hope Hill Elementary School | 112 Boulevard, NE
• Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School | 545 Hill Street, SE
• Sutton Middle School (Main Campus) | 2875 Northside Drive, NW
• Sylvan Hills Middle School | 1461 Sylvan Road, SW
• Young Middle School | 3116 Benjamin E. Mays Drive, SW

Clayton County

Students will participate in virtual, asynchronous learning from January 5 to January 7 and return to an in-person classroom on January 10.

Employees will work remotely from January 3 to January 7 and will return the school building on January 10, alongside the students.

DeKalb County

Students will start the semester in virtual instruction from Jan 5 through the 7.

All 12-month and 11-month employees, and 10-month assistant principals will report to work on Monday, January 3, 2022. COVID-19 testing will be available for employees at the Administrative & Instructional Complex in Stone Mountain on January 3 and January 4, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students will return to face-to-face instruction on Monday, January 10, 2022.

For students who did not bring devices home in advance of winter break, parents and guardians will be permitted to pick up learning devices for students on Monday, January 3 and Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Principals will provide the distribution times. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up curbside January 5-7, 2022.

Fulton County

Fulton County Schools announced late Friday afternoon that they will begin the new year with remote learning for students beginning Jan. 4 through Jan. 7.

The district said beginning Jan. 10, they will resume face-to-face instruction with plans to utilize their “Closing Matrix”. That means schools with schools with positive COVID-19 cases equal to or greater than one percent of the student/staff population will continue with remote learning until the number of cases decrease.

Fulton County will require masks for anyone at their facilities from Jan. 10 through Jan. 21, 2022.

Rockdale County

Students will participate in virtual learning from January 4 to January 7 and return to an in-person classroom on January 10.

Teachers and staff will also work remote during that same time period, and return to the classroom in-person on January 10.

“In short, our local community spread is extremely significant. It was affirming to hear the public health officials in our meeting commend RCPS for our proactive COVID-19 mitigation measures and commitment to the public health safety and well-being of our students and staff,” Rockdale County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Terry Oatts said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Emory University and Atlanta HBCUs Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University will begin their spring semesters virtually as well.

©2021 Cox Media Group