Students returned to campuses Tuesday morning across the Appalachian foothills region of northernmost Georgia despite temperatures in the teens and windchill readings in single digits.
Public schools in Fannin, Union, Towns and Rabun counties had not had in-person classes for more than a week due to the winter storm that swept through the South earlier this month. Unlike the rest of Georgia, where campuses quickly reopened earlier this month, ice took a long time to melt from mountainous roads in the four counties.
“We’re able to leverage at-home learning options, but there’s no replacement for a kid being in the classroom with a loving, caring teacher,” said John Hill, Union County Schools superintendent.
Students returning to classes in North Georgia on the same day that other districts shutter schools again underscores what is being described as this week’s “upside-down” weather.
Many school districts across metro Atlanta and farther south in Georgia did not have in-person classes Tuesday and some closed completely due to expected inclement weather. Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency Monday, his second such order for cold weather conditions this month.
Snow wasn’t forecast for the most northern parts of the state, a rare circumstance when winter weather hits Georgia.
“If we get windchill below zero, then we will consider a two-hour delay,” said Darren Berrong, Towns County School District superintendent.
Amid frigid conditions, Berrong said he was relieved to have students return to campus after the long break. He added that middle and high school students typically stay on track, but elementary-aged kids present a challenge to regain focus.
“Hopefully we can go the rest of the month not having dangerous roads to travel,” Berrong said.
The snow, sleet and freezing rain that pelted North Georgia on Friday, Jan. 10, forced many schools districts in the state to cancel classes that day. But when most returned to normal operations the following Monday or Tuesday, schools located in the mountains were unable to do so due to icy conditions on roads.
Main highways were clear, Hill said, but ice remained on county roads that wind through rural, hilly and wooded terrain.
Some of the roads remain “shaded all day,” he said. “There’s no sunlight penetrating the trees, and it remains icy until the temperatures get above freezing.”
When temps did warm, snow melting from the mountains created water runoff that froze again after dark, Hill said. He added that a week after the first snowfall, just three of 28 bus routes in the county were considered safe to drive.
There were similar issues in neighboring Towns County, including the towns of Hiawassee and Young Harris.
“These decisions are not just about buses,” Berrong said. “It’s also about all these young drivers in high school that you’re concerned about their driving skills in these conditions.”
Towns County Middle School Principal Rollie Thomas acknowledged replacing seven consecutive school days, including Monday’s scheduled break on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with virtual, at-home learning wasn’t ideal, especially coming off a recent extended break for the holidays.
But Thomas said the experience educators faced during the COVID-19 pandemic helped established a blueprint for at-home learning.
“Students need consistency and structure,” he said. “We as a district utilize Google Classroom, so when students aren’t sitting in a desk at school they’re at least able to get their work delivered to them in a similar format.”
Berrong said the technology allows teachers to post videos for instruction and to frequently communicate with students and parents. Students without internet access are given an additional week once classes resume to complete assignments.
“Our teachers are lenient and understanding, so we make sure our kids don’t get punished by missing something like that,” Berrong said.
As the break wore on, Hill opted for an experiment.
Last Friday, Union, where Blairsville is the county seat, had an optional attendance day. Roughly 800 of 3,000 kids from kindergarten through high school showed up.
“It was unorthodox, but we were able to give parents who needed to go to work some options,” Hill said. “We took care of the kids and fed them.”
In the past, Hill and Berrong both said, measures would be necessary to make up for lost in-person class time. Extending school days by 30 minutes, classes on Saturdays and during spring break and pushing back graduation were often required after rough winters. Virtual learning capabilities and waivers for the state’s required days in attendance help preserve the academic schedule.
“We have some freedom now,” Berrong said, “where we don’t have to worry about going to Saturday school or going all the way into June.”
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