When Gwinnett County Public Schools announced students would not have to report to classrooms Thursday due to the potential risks from Hurricane Helene, it cited keeping students and the school community safe as the impetus.
The district announcement also said, “Due to safety concerns, meals will not be delivered.” Explaining it was acting with “an abundance of caution,” the district said it made its “decisions to support the safety and well-being of our school community.”
Then, the district concluded with: “All staff will report to their locations.”
Many Gwinnett teachers weren’t happy that conditions were deemed unsafe for sandwich deliveries, but not for them to drive to their empty school buildings.
And they flocked to social media to make the point. Among the nearly 200 comments on the Gwinnett County Public Schools Facebook post:
“I learned a hard lesson today. Gwinnett County Public Schools does not consider me, a veteran Gwinnett educator of 26 dedicated years, as part of my school community. Shame."
“Nice to know teachers and support staff are valued so highly that out of an abundance of caution they are being asked to take the risk of traveling in to empty classrooms on Thursday. What are those teachers supposed to do with their own kids? I guess the safety of teacher's kids isn't any more of an issue than the safety of the teachers. Have you noticed? At this point teachers have significant experience working from home. They could stay home, stay safe, keep their own kids safe, and still do the work of providing digital education. What a supremely disappointing situation."
“If it ain't safe for the kids to get on the bus, it ain't safe for the teachers to drive to their school. Signed - Husband of a teacher."
“They threw teachers to the lions during Covid, what else is new?"
“It is ridiculous to have staff report if it is unsafe for the students. Either it's safe enough for everyone, or it's not safe for anyone. Either decide it's going to be safe after all and let the students go in, or decide it's not safe, or not worth the risk, and let the staff stay home, too."
Many districts in metro Atlanta shut down Thursday, but there are exceptions including Fulton, Fayette, Douglas, Oconee, Clarke and Jackson. As always, there are critics who believe all districts should have remained open since the worst fallout from Helene is predicted for Friday.
Thursday, thus far, seems just another rainy day in Georgia.
But anyone who lived through the 2014 “Snowpocalypse” understands weather challenges can develop quickly in Georgia. A decade ago, less than 3 inches of snow turned 30-minute commutes into 18-hour nightmares and stranded thousands of schoolchildren, some stuck on buses for hours without heat or food. At North Atlanta High School, 417 students slept on the floor of the media center and gym.
Since then, many district leaders have adopted a “better safe than sorry” approach when warned of severe weather.
But when districts make that “better safe” decision, it ought to include everyone, including their staffs.
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