Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order Thursday that will keep all public schools in the state closed through April 24.
The decision comes on the heels of local school districts in Northwest Georgia prolonging their closures for an indefinite amount of time as students and staff adapt to digital learning.
In the order, Kemp said students and faculty may return to school Monday, April 27. That could change as the coronavirus continues to spread in Georgia where there are 1,525 confirmed cases and 48 deaths related to the virus.
The University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia have already announced classes for the rest of the semester will be online. Those schools will be closed for the rest of the school year.
Public schools in the state have been closed since March 18 after Kemp signed an executive order telling schools to do so on March 16. Several school districts had already shut down schools as the coronavirus spread.
This is a developing story. Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.