Dekalb Schools Reopen Wednesday

Dekalb County Schools reopen Wednesday morning with a mask mandate and remote learning as two separate challenges.

Dekalb County delayed opening schools for two weeks when an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Dekalb County School Director Patrick Cripps said he wanted to avoid having regrets about re-opening without a mask mandate.

“We’ve got to try to keep our students and our faculty and staff safe, and any precaution we can do to prevent having to live with a decision or lack of a decision two and three years down the road that’s what we’re trying to prevent,” Cripps said.

Masks are mandated for common areas and school buses.

Remote learning will be a first for both teachers and students in Dekalb. Cripps said that the two week delay will help with the online preparation for 20-22 percent of students.

“You’ve got to fine tune some of the items for our students that are going remote learning, and it allowed our teachers a little extra time to prepare for that situation,” Cripps said. “It’s something that our students and teachers have never really done, because our teachers will be doing it simultaneously as they teach in house students, so it’s going to be a challenge.”