The Bibb County School District will transition all schools to asynchronous learning for two weeks beginning Tuesday, September 7. Staff will continue to work from the buildings and students will return to school for in-person learning on Monday, September 20. Students should continue attending school in person for the remainder of this week in order to make sure they receive an electronic device and handouts and know how to log in for assignments during asynchronous learning. 

Why was this decision made? While the District continues to monitor COVID-19 cases by school, grade and classroom level each day, the District is also reviewing spread within our community. The latest data released by the Georgia Department of Public Health this week, along with the upcoming Labor Day holiday, have led to a precautionary decision to move to asynchronous learning for two weeks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

“I am very confident our schools are safe. I believe the measures we put in place with requiring masks, socially distancing with the distance the CDC recommends, and frequent handwashing all help keep us safe,” Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones said. “However, I also recognize community spread is very high; and I believe in some cases the students are bringing COVID-19 into the schools, and maybe it is spreading that way. Because of that and because Labor Day is about to occur, and because we know our number of COVID-19 positive cases increases over weekends, we are going to take the next two weeks to pause in-person learning and hopefully ensure that when students return, our schools will still be safe.”

Based on District protocols, any students who voluntarily choose not to attend school through the remainder of this week will be marked absent. During the two-week period of asynchronous learning, students will continue to participate in extracurricular and athletics programs, as well as occupational dual enrollment courses. Students participating in occupational dual enrollment courses who need transportation should arrive at their home school by 7:20 a.m. for morning sessions and 11:15 a.m. for afternoon sessions. Additionally, during the two-week period, parents should continue to monitor their child’s health for any signs of illness and notify the school if a child tests positive for COVID-19.

Asynchronous learning means teachers will be recording and posting lessons from their classroom each day, but they will not be teaching live. During asynchronous learning, students are expected to log in to Canvas through ClassLink each day to sign in and complete assignments posted by teachers. If a student was given handouts instead of an electronic device, he or she will need to complete these handout assignments and bring them back to school on their return date. Students who do not complete assignments will be marked absent.

Here is a direct link to ClassLink for students: https://launchpad.classlink.com/bibb. Parents may find many resources and tips for helping students with asynchronous learning at https://bit.ly/3zjntl8. Additionally, teachers will be available to answer questions from students and parents through Remind. Teachers also will have office hours to work with students in Teams each day. For parents who need WiFi or internet assistance, please visit https://bit.ly/3BsVoc0.

The District continues to monitor COVID-19 data for all schools on a daily basis to ensure the safety of students and staff for in-person learning. The Georgia Department of Public Health states when communities are in substantial spread for COVID-19 like our community is, individuals may be exposed to COVID-19 anywhere in the community – not just at school. As a reminder, here are some of the safety measures in place at Bibb schools: 

• Administrators are monitoring COVID-19 data daily by school, grade and classroom level;

• Students and staff are required to wear masks throughout the day;

• District is encouraging vaccinations among those eligible;

• Schools are checking temperatures daily;

• Schools are providing frequent hand washing breaks;

• District installed ionization systems that purify the air and kill germs in all buildings;

• District converted all water fountains to touchless;

• District limiting visitors allowed in buildings; and

• Any approved volunteers must have proof of vaccination.

To read more about the Bibb County School District’s COVID-19 protocols, please visit https://bit.ly/3fEicgt. Thank you for your support as we work to keep our schools safe for students and staff. Parents should reach out to their child’s school with any questions or concerns.