Citing Virus, DeKalb County School District Remains Virtual

One of Georgia’s largest public school systems says it’s continuing with online classes rather than traditional teaching because coronavirus cases in the area are still too high.

The DeKalb County School District said Monday cases of the illness caused by the virus, COVID-19, aren’t dropping enough for students to return to classrooms safely. The system has about 100,000 students in heavily populated metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the district’s plan calls for offering in-person classes a few days a week if infection rates in the east metro Atlanta county drop below 100 infections per 100,000 people for two straight weeks.

The county got close to that level for several days but numbers increased in recent days.

School districts in Cobb, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties have brought or plan to bring back students to classrooms. But schools in Atlanta, Decatur and Clayton County are continuing with online learning.

School districts that are opting for virtual learning are facing pressure to return to in-person classes. In DeKalb, some parents are urging a return to traditional learning, and billboards along interstate highways are advocating for a return.