CUSSETA, Ga. (AP) – After the Chattahoochee County school district called an early end to the school year, seniors lined up one day last week to complete their graduation paperwork. Students who hadn’t seen each other since in-person classes ended abruptly in March amid the coronavirus outbreak commiserated over all they’ve missed out on, including the prom and a senior class trip.
Some also wondered about what they may have lost academically.
“Honestly, remote learning, I don’t think was my favorite thing,” said 18-year-old Isabella Branson. “It’s kind of hard to stay motivated when you don’t have anything to look forward to and you don’t see your friends.”
The small district in rural Georgia is among many around the U.S. that have pulled the plug on distance learning, all citing familiar reasons. It’s too stressful, the lack of devices and internet access is too much to overcome, and what students get from it just isn’t worth the struggle.
In Georgia, where the school year is ending early for one of every 10 students, many district leaders say the final weeks of the school year would have been dedicated anyway to preparing for and taking standardized tests that are now canceled. The governor and state schools superintendent who have moved to dismantle parts of Georgia’s high-stakes testing system have said they are not opposed to fewer instructional days.