Dade County, Georgia, middle and high school students transitioned to online learning for the remainder of the week beginning Wednesday - just 13 days after the official start of the school year - because of an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases on campus.
Superintendent Josh Ingle said distance learning will continue until at least Friday in both the middle and high schools as the district evaluates the situation.
"There is a possibility that we could extend that further, but as of right now we are planning to have everyone at school on Monday," Ingle said Wednesday morning. "We have a meeting this afternoon to discuss that."
As soon as that meeting ends, Ingle said, any new information parents need to know will be posted to the district website.
While middle and high school students work behind their computers at home, Dade County elementary schoolers continue to receive face-to-face instruction from their teachers on their school campuses.
"There haven't been as many cases or quarantines in our elementary schools, which is why they are still going in person," Ingle said. "We are keeping a close watch on the data and the numbers as they roll in. If that changes we will update what we are doing accordingly, the way we always do with COVID."
According to the most recent statistics made available by the school system, 34 positive COVID-19 cases and 70 quarantines total have been reported within Dade County Schools since the start of the school year.
In the weeklong period from Saturday, Aug. 7, to Friday, Aug. 13, 10 students and three staff members at Dade County High School tested positive for the virus, and 14 students and two staff members were under active quarantine. Seven students and three staff members at Dade Middle School tested positive for COVID-19 during the same period, with six students and one staff member under active quarantine.
As the numbers of positive cases of the virus and hospitalizations continue to rise across North Georgia, Ingle said the school system will monitor the situation and update guidelines for its students and staff. The district will continue to follow guidance and recommendations from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it makes those rules.
"Our focus is on keeping students safe and keeping students learning," Ingle said. "Everything we do is based on those objectives, so we are going to continue keeping a close eye on things."
Dade County Schools now does not require students to mask indoors, on buses or in transitions during classes, however, students are encouraged to do so. Social distancing, hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer are also encouraged.
Visitors to the schools are limited until further notice, and enhanced cleaning measures will continue with high-impact areas such as the cafeteria and bathrooms being disinfected throughout the school day. Temperatures, Ingle said, may be checked before students enter the building.
(READ MORE: Northwest Georgia schools to encourage but not require masks)
If a student tests positive, Ingle said, Dade County Schools will follow Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines, which require those who test positive for COVID-19 to remain isolated for 10 days from the date of symptoms and to remain fever free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
Parents will be notified if a child or staff member in their child's class tests positive for COVID-19.
Dade County Schools provides a weekly update with information about the number of positive cases and active quarantines in each of its schools on its website at dadecountyschools.org.
Contact Kelcey Caulder at kcaulder@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @kelceycaulder.