ByZach LoganandWTOC Staff|July 16, 2020 at 6:01 AM EDT - Updated July 16 at 7:14 AM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The school board for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is expected to decide Thursday how to begin the 2020-2021 school year.
Due to the recent spike in cases, Superintendent Dr. Ann Levett has made the recommendation to delay the start of the school year and begin it virtually.
WTOC spoke with School Board President Dr. Joe Buck to get his thoughts on the recommendation. He says the safety of the students, staff, and faculty will always be a priority for the school district. He says the school system has heard from a lot of parents who say they’re not ready to allow their students back in a school building.
Originally, the school system was going to head back to school on Wednesday, August 5. But Superintendent Levett made the announcement earlier this month that the school system could delay the start to Wednesday, Aug. 19.
They would also not begin the school year inside the school buildings, but instead, students would continue to learn from home.
Dr. Buck says everyone on the board and at SCCPSS knows the importance of reopening schools, especially for working parents, but he says they can’t reopen too soon. He says if the proposed plan passes, he expects the board to reconvene around Labor Day to see if it’s safe to reopen the schools then.
Thursday’s meeting will begin at 2 p.m. via teleconference. Citizens can watch the live meeting by visiting theDistrict’s websiteor from theDistrict’s YouTube Channel.
WTOC will also be watching the meeting and will report on any new developments.
Photo: WTOC