Fannin County School System has welcomed students back to school through in-person and online settings following COVID-19 related closures in March.
“You could not imagine the excitement we all felt getting to see the students come back on the school campus,” Assistant Superintendent of Governance and Achievement Sarah Rigdon said as she expressed the system’s excitement to the Board of Education at a meeting Thursday, August 13.
Rigdon shared experiences from each of the five schools within the system.
Blue Ridge Elementary Principal Dr. April Hodges recognized how excited students were to return to school for the first time since closures in March.
“One of the challenges we expected was the change in our routine for morning drop off and parents not escorting their students inside,” Hodges said. “However, the students are doing great and are finding their way to class. They are very independent and are being so responsible in all of the protocols and changes we have made.”
East Fannin Elementary Principal Matt Price expressed the staff’s concern over how traditional school would look with new safety measures in place, however he said students and parents have been “awesome” through their support and compliance with the new regulations.
“Teachers have hit the ground running teaching rules, expectations, and new safety procedures. Our staff has been awesome with their new duties,” Principal Matt Price said. “All of our hard work planning with the district and experts like DPH along with feedback from teachers, parents, students, and the community has contributed to a successful start to the school year!”
West Fannin Elementary School Principal Alison Danner said, “It is wonderful to see our students and hear their laughter in the hallways. The staff, students and parents have been very cooperative and understanding about all of the new safety protocols and procedures. We are very fortunate to be surrounded with positive people who take care of each other and love kids.”
Fannin County Middle School Principal Keith Nuckolls explained that student attitudes resemble the usual start to school, with seventh and eighth graders brimming with “confidence and excitement,” while sixth graders are “wide-eyed and quiet” as they adjust to a new setting.
“We are thankful to work with these young people once again,” he said. “Our teachers have planned diligently and, I believe, are even more prepared to educate our students on the challenges we face now and to come. We are excited and ready!”
Fannin County High School Principal Erik Cioffi spoke to the virtual online learning team’s hard work, stating, “We are so proud of our Virtual Online Team who has worked tirelessly to ensure that all students feel safe in their choice of learning environment. This has been made possible by the purchase of a site license of the Odyssey Ware program. Although the time constraints of launching an online program while launching a brick-and-mortar program has posed its challenges, FCHS should have all students successfully in their program of choice by the end of the first week of school.”
He also discussed operations in the traditional school setting, stating, “We have been very happy with the efforts of our staff with the start and close of school. Approximately 900 temperatures taken each day, as well as managing the traffic in the a.m. and p.m. Our students seem to be adjusting and changing their previous routines (congregating in halls, being aware of their surroundings, lunch time, etc.)”
The school system currently has 17% of the system enrolled in online learning with 509 enrolled in the program.
One parent said, “This really is a good program. Since my background is ELA, I was impressed with the depth and breadth of the standards covered in a lesson. Yesterday, I looked ahead to better prepare myself. Thank you so much for all you are doing. It really is a blessing, and I am truly grateful.”
The school system will provide COVID-19 case updates through their website at www.fannin.k12.ga.us. As of August 13, the system had 2,893 students enrolled. Three of these students had a current positive status, and eight were quarantined due to possible exposure either in the school setting or home setting. Of the system’s 472 employees, two had a current positive status and nine were quarantined due to possible exposure.