Lee County School System will transition to at-home learning

Tom Seegmueller, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·2 min read

Aug. 24—LEESBURG — After two weeks of in-person learning, the Lee County School System has announced that all schools in the system would transition to at-home learning beginning Thursday.

Numbers reported on the www.Lee.k12.ga.us COVID-19 Information link show that the data related to COVID-19 nearly doubled in all criteria. The number of cases in the schools increased from 74 to 138. The total cases in the system increased from 104 to 182, while those quarantined as close contacts grew from 839 to 1,552.

The current rise in COVID cases also has had an impact on teachers and support staff. All these factors resulted in Schools Superintendent Jason Miller sending the following letter to parents:

To our Lee County Families:

The Lee County School System is experiencing a severe shortage in teachers and substitute teachers due to the impact of COVID-19. Therefore, all schools will transition to an at-home learning environment beginning Thursday, August 26 through Tuesday, September 7. All students may return to school on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.

Each school will be in touch regarding their remote learning process and packets. Please direct any instruction-related questions to your child's teacher. Our Food Services Department will be coordinating meals during this time. More information regarding locations and scheduled times will follow.

Our Extended Day Enrichment Program will be suspended during this time but will re-open on September 8.

Closing school is a decision made with input from principals, health professionals, other leaders, and the support of the board. Understanding that parents need to plan for their student's care or take off from work weighs in on the decisions we make. The school district will continue to make decisions based on the best interest of all students and employees while monitoring ongoing matters relative to the pandemic.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Lee County School System

"We always fight for our students to have the safest and most routine learning experience," Yolanda Robinson, the public relations coordinator for the LCSS, said. "This was a hard decision, but is the best at this time."