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The Forsyth County Board of Education called a special meeting this week to approve guidelines for reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The five-member board will vote Thursday, July 9, on a final version of “Restart Forsyth,” the Forsyth County Schools’s six-point plan for returning to in-person instruction when the school year begins Aug. 6.
The meeting will start at 4 p.m., at the BOE headquarters at 1120 Dahlonega Highway. Visitors will have their temperature checked and be required to wear a face covering. The meeting can also be viewed on YouTube.
Forsyth County Schools announced in June that it intended to begin the school year with face-to-face instruction unless directed otherwise by the state. Officials say it’s an important time for students and staff to form relationships.
Students of all grades also have the option to learn virtually. The school district is hosting two town halls this week to address questions about online learning for grades K-5 in advance of the July 14 deadline for parents and guardians to sign up students for at least the first semester. Students in middle and high school have until July 31 to sign up for online learning through the Forsyth Virtual Academy.
The school district’s reopening plan lays out dozens of new safety measures to curb the spread of the virus, including screening students and staff before entering buildings; disinfecting school buses before and after every route; taking hand-washing breaks; and having students eat lunch in their classroom.
In addition, students and staff are “expected to wear a mask when feasible.”
Correction (July 6, 8:15 p.m.): A previous version of this story used an old, incorrect date for the deadline to sign up for online learning and didn't make it clear that that deadline applied only to grades K-5.
