Today, around 70 Atlanta Public Schools teachers, staff and parents demanded that APS should not return to in-person learning due to coronavirus safety concerns at a protest outside of the district board headquarters in downtown Atlanta.
APS, under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring, is currently planning on returning to face to face learning next month. Dr. Herring previously backtracked on reopening plans in Oct.; however, she has maintained her stance on a Feb. reopening.
Currently, teachers and staff are scheduled to return to their school buildings on Jan. 19. Students are set to return to school in Jan. and Feb. after almost a year of absence from the in-person learning setting.
Students in prekindergarten through second grade, along with those in the special education program, will return on Jan. 25. Third through sixth graders and those in grades nine and 10 return on Feb. 1. Students in the remaining grades, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th, go back on Feb. 4.
This story was originally published on The Southerner on January 16, 2021.