Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information & Updates

October, 2020 Amharic | Arabic | Bengali | Burmese | Chinese | French | Hindi | Karen | Nepali | Somali | Spanish | Telugu | Tigrinya | Vietnamese

September 16, 2020 DCSD Plan for Re-opening Schools Face to Face STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – DeKalb County School District Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris and her team presented the District’s updated re-opening plan during the Sept. 14 Board of Education meeting. Decisions have been carefully considered given the magnitude of COVID-19 and school closures since March 16, 2020. The District previously delayed start of the 2020-21 school year and opened schools with a virtual learning model to account for substantial community spread of COVID-19. The current re-opening plan calls for a learning model to match the associated disease spread in the community. With low or no spread, a traditional model will be used. With minimal or moderate spread, [...]

July 13, 2020 Greetings DeKalb County School District students, staff, and community stakeholders, The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) sought stakeholder input on their preferences and perspectives for learning models and hybrid options for the reopening of schools. This feedback includes the stakeholders' level of comfort with social distancing and hygiene efforts, school bus transportation, employee travel, serving meals, taking students’ temperature, access to supplies, technology, internet usage at home, and the use of masks at school and on the bus. Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris and the DCSD administrative team have explored all options and the proposed plan will be shared today, July 13, 2020, with the DeKalb County Board of Education during its meeting for review and [...]

July 9, 2020 Since taking the oath of office, Mrs. Watson-Harris’ top priority has been the plan to re-open schools. She and the DCSD COVID-19 Re-Opening Task Force (CRTF) have been working diligently to update the existing framework, and the proposed plan will be shared with the DeKalb County Board of Education during its meeting on Monday, July 13, for review and discussion. The plan incorporates current guidelines from the Georgia Department of Education, the latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health, and feedback from parents, students, staff, and stakeholders in the community. Throughout the process, the safety of students has been the number one priority. Once approved, the plan will be distributed to [...]

June 9, 2020 DCSD Distributes Stakeholder Survey on Reopening Schools for 2020-21 School Year | Arabic | Amharic | Bengali | Burmese | Chinese | French | Hindi | Karen | Nepali | Somali | Spanish | Swahili | Telugu | Vietnamese Who: Parents, teachers/staff, and students (Grades 6-12) What: DCSD is seeking stakeholder input on their preferences and perspectives for learning models and hybrid options that the school district is considering for the reopening of schools. This feedback includes stakeholders' level of comfort with social distancing and hygiene efforts, school bus transportation, serving meals, taking temperature, access to technology and internet at home, and the use of masks at school. When: Survey is [...]

June 5, 2020 Return to School Guidance After COVID-19 Illness or Exposure The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Education have released guidance to help schools plan for a safe return to in-person instruction in fall 2020: https://www.georgiainsights.com/recovery.html. DPH recommends schools use this guidance which takes into account local COVID-19 transmission in the community, to make decisions regarding opening for in-person education. CDC also provides guidance on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in school settings https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html. For schools opting to have in-person instruction, the following guidance should be used to make decisions about “return to school” for students or staff: with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19; who have suspected COVID-19 [...]

From: Mrs. Ramona Tyson, Superintendent Subject: GADOE Re-Entry Plan Date: June 1, 2020 06.01.2020 - GADOE releases Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools The Georgia Department of Education, in partnership with Georgia Department of Public Health, released today, Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools. The attached guidance (not mandate) will help schools plan for a safe return to instruction for the 2020-2021 school year. The document is comprehensive in providing guidance on multiple areas including practicing prevention, transporting students, entering school buildings, serving meals, transitioning between classes and spaces within the school, conducting large group gatherings, supporting teaching and learning, and protecting vulnerable populations in areas of substantial, minimal to moderate, and low [...]

From: Mrs. Ramona Tyson, Superintendent Subject: Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies May 8, 2020 2020 Virtual Graduation Schedule On April 14, 2020, the District published the End of Year Guide for Students and Families that disclosed the two graduation ceremony options being considered in light of the executive order to shelter in place. At that time, the options included hosting graduation ceremonies during the week of June 15-20, 2020 as virtual ceremonies or hybrid face-to-face ceremonies at the AIC in the auditorium. Based on current guidance from CDC and other health agencies, we are unable to pursue graduation ceremonies face-to-face for June.The ultimate goal is two-fold: a) provide the wishes of [...]

From: Mrs. Ramona Tyson, Superintendent Subject: DeKalb Virtual Career Academy May 7, 2020 The DeKalb County School District, DeKalb County Government and Georgia Piedmont Technical College have partnered to transform the county’s DeKalb Summer Youth Employment Program into the DeKalb Virtual Career Academy. The program, which runs from June 1 to July 31, will provide career development, education enrichment and summer income for 850 youth, ages 14 to 24, who will be paid $9 per hour while learning online. For more information about the DeKalb Virtual Career Academy, please see press release attached. 05-07-20 DeKalb Virtual Youth Academy Press Release

May 1, 2020 05.01.2020 – Gov. Kemp, Dr. Toomey Urge Georgians to Wear Face Coverings to Fight COVID-19 Atlanta - Governor Brian P. Kemp, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) urge all Georgians to continue to follow safe daily habits to reduce our risk of exposure to COVID-19 and keep the virus from spreading. Wear a face covering in public settings, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently. A cloth face covering should be worn whenever people are in a community setting where social distancing may be difficult such as in the grocery store or picking up food at a restaurant or riding public transportation, and especially [...]