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Forsyth County schools closed next week due to coronavirus threat
School system will hold online learning days; activities canceled starting Friday
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The Forsyth County Schools district announced late Thursday that all classes will be canceled next week in the wake of concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak.

From March 16-20, the school system will hold online learning days, with teachers leading lessons from home.

In addition, all “school events, extracurricular activities, school-related trips, community school events and facility rentals” are canceled effective Friday at 6 a.m.

The school system said it will announce plans for March 23-27 on Thursday, March 19.

Other district employees will receive word of their status Friday, March 13.

Students can get their personal belongings at school Friday, which is a professional learning day for staff, as well as check out technology, during normal business hours.

At a press conference earlier Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urged public school districts and the state’s public universities to close for two weeks, though he didn’t mandate it, and Kemp’s message set off a string of closures around metro Atlanta.

Thursday also saw the state announce the first coronavirus-related death: a 67-year-old man with underlying medical conditions who was hospitalized at WellStar Kennestone.