Statement re: Atlanta Public Schools 2021–22 School Year Schedule
March 3, 2021
Parents and families of Atlanta Public School (APS) students call on Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring and the Atlanta Board of Education to return Atlanta Public Schools to a traditional 5-day in-person learning environment no later than the start of 2021–2022 school year.
During the March 1, 2021 Board of Education meeting, the plan for the 2021–22 school year was not addressed. Students and their families need to plan now for next year. We ask you, Dr. Herring, to provide a detailed plan for 2021–22 in advance of the next Atlanta Board of Education meeting, currently scheduled for April 12, 2021.
If APS is unable or unwilling to provide 5-day in-person learning for the 2021–2022 school year, families should have time to look elsewhere for private institutions, learning pods, or neighboring districts that will. The return to school, 5 days per week, is not a “need” vs “want” situation.
Schools must offer five-day in-person learning
All APS students need to be offered a full-time, in-person learning experience, like so many other students across Georgia.
The repercussions of long-term virtual learning are real. According to a recent McKinsey study, students have experienced an average of three months of learning loss in math and one-and-a-half months of learning loss in reading. Learning loss is especially prevalent in students of color. APS has acknowledged that virtual learning is not the same as in-person learning, as evidenced by their efforts to address learning loss. Students cannot fully recover without access to full-time in-person school. Further, the impact on children’s mental health has become its own crisis that we can no longer ignore.
The list of doctors and experts advocating for less than 6’ of distance continues to grow. Even the CDC Director herself said it was unnecessary. Following simple mitigation efforts like hand washing, 3’ of distance, masks, and improved ventilation limit the spread of COVID-19 and will allow more children back into the classroom, where we know students and teachers are safe.
Governor Kemp recently announced that all Georgia educators will be prioritized for vaccination starting on March 8, 2021. When the 2021–2022 school year begins, all of Atlanta Public School teachers, staff and administrators will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Given recent vaccination news and additional knowledge surrounding simple mitigation, there is no reason to continue having asynchronous or virtual school days for students who opt-in for face-to-face learning. Students need this day in the classroom — and all APS students should be given the option to return to five days per week of face-to-face instruction.
Simultaneous in-person and virtual learning is not a model for success
Asking local schools to maintain in-person and virtual learning simultaneously can negatively impact the learning experience for students. Today, many APS middle and high school students are sitting at the same desk all day on a device, with no actual learning from an in-class teacher.
We support any student or teacher who needs to remain in a virtual school setting. APS offers Atlanta Virtual Academy (AVA) and the State of Georgia offers Georgia Virtual School — both aimed at supporting an online educational experience. We strongly suggest that students who wish to remain virtual be directed to AVA, and that APS allow these students to remain on their home schools’ rosters, protecting individual school funding.
Contact:
Email: committeeforapsprogress@gmail.com
Website: https://committeeforapsprogress.com/
Twitter: @commAPSprogress
