Clarke County students will be heading back to class on February 15th, in a phased-in, hybrid plan to have in-person learning for one or two days a week and virtual learning for the rest of the time. We spoke with Dr. LaKeisha Gantt, President of the Clarke School Board and District representative, about the many factors considered when making those decisions.
"One is staff resources. Which staff are able to actually deliver face to face instruction because of their own unique health needs. The district is still providing meals, for instance, to families that are virtual and that requires transportation resources. They're also having to manage the physical safety of the individuals who are face to face. It's a very delicate balance, and there really aren't easy answers."
Gantt is the mother of two Clarke students, and she says she fully understands issues facing parents.
"So for instance when we go face to face there probably is not after school. So what that means for us is that our work schedules have to either change or we have to leverage the relationships and resources that we have to try to secure transportation for our children. We have to rely on our high schooler if we're not here to be able to help our elementary-aged daughter navigate any glitches that come up."
You can hear more from our conversation with Clarke Board of Education President LaKeisha Gantt on Athens News Matters by visiting WUGA.org.
