Q&A: Coronavirus update with CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas

CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas stands outside the Clarke Central High School main entrance on Feb. 28. Thomas understands that people are searching for answers about school closure and other events admit the COVID-19 pandemic, but says that many things are out of her control at this point in time. “I understand, as a human, that people want answers. Our seniors want to know about graduation. The juniors and seniors want to know about prom. I understand those are very real concerns, but we don’t know. It’s so hard, especially when you’re talking about looking at children, and they’re sending these emails and posting things on social media about wanting answers. It’s hard when things aren’t in your control.” Photo by Krista Shumaker

ODYSSEY Media Group Digital Editor Owen Donnelly talks to Clarke County School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas about the COVID-19 outbreak and its implications for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.

Digital Editor Owen Donnelly: Could you describe the process of the first school closure on March 12?
Clarke County School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas: (The State Department of Education) asked that we consult with the Department of Public Health and our local health department. And so initially they were saying there aren’t any confirmed cases in our area. They did not feel at the time that it was really necessary for Clarke County schools to close. Our concern was that we had so many people coming back from spring break within our district, as well as within the University of Georgia population. So the other superintendents in the region and I decided that we were going to recommend that we close for two weeks, but that we were going to word it (a specific way, because) maybe we were overreacting. So (we left) it open where we would revisit it at the end of the first week. Before we could really even get that out, the state –and I think it was (the) state superintendent– was kinda like, “If schools feel like they need to close, you all have our blessings, do what you feel like is best.”

Email from Dr. Thomas initially canceling school on March 12

OD: What is the current status of prom?
XT: I said to the principals yesterday that I want the kids to be able to have prom. It’s supposed to be April 3. That’s not gonna happen. So rather than say, “Let’s make it April 10.” That’s not, to me being terribly realistic. So, my recommendation was let’s try to push it to mid-May right before graduation. So they are looking at options, but we don’t know if we’re going to be in even more of a crisis here now than we are today. So the principals are working with their prom coordinators on it. They are trying to determine locations, but all of that is going to be dependent on what our president, our governor and mayor are saying come May.

OD: When do you anticipate we will return to school?
XT: We said at one point we were coming back to school on March 30, right at the end of this week. The local government said April 7, and they say schools can go back, but we wouldn’t go back if the government’s on hold. That’s 16-17,000 people that you’re going to bring together when the whole city is trying to stay apart. So what was March 30 is now April 7, and then we’re like, “Oh shoot, kids are out of school April 10 and 13. So do we come back the seventh for two days? Or do we wait and come back on the 14th?” Yet everyone is saying, “Don’t spend too much time on that because we’ll probably have another mandate by the governor before the end.” I can’t give kids answers. We do know that we can’t use (UGA’s Stegeman Coliseum) now for graduation, but beyond that, I don’t know anything else because I don’t know what the world is going to be like in May.

OD: Is it possible that spring athletes will get to finish off their seasons, or is that over for them completely?
XT: It’s gonna be up to Georgia High School Association. They were the ones that issued the order to cease sports. I’ve actually got a couple of track runners social distancing sort of at my home, and they’re about to go crazy because the whole season is gone. We were talking yesterday about our soccer team at Central. They were having a great season and projected to do really well, and now they can’t play and what does this mean for our seniors who lose their season? But we’re at the mercy of the GHSA.

OD: How much work should students be getting during this time?
XT: I received a couple of emails from students saying that they have to care for siblings, they’re maintaining the home, they’re worried and have anxiety. But we did have guidelines for work and how many minutes students should be working a day. For high school, it’s no more than three hours of work per day. So we wanted to be sure that the workload is reasonable and students aren’t having to spend seven or eight hours trying to stay on top of schoolwork while also taking care of or supporting their families. So we sent out some clarity about that to teachers.

OD: What was your reaction to the Georgia Milestones getting canceled and then AP tests moving online?
XT: Honestly, I feel like it’s the best thing to do for students, the most equitable thing to do for students because they are not going to have a full 180 days of rigorous instruction. So I was excited to hear that End of Grade EOC & EOG were going to be canceled. And then for AP, I’m glad they’re providing that option because many of our students will benefit from it. We just have to make sure that we’re getting this last quarter of instructional material pushed out to students and in a way that’s understandable.

OD: What is the CCSD doing to ensure students have access to mental health support in this tough time?
XT: We have sent that out to families in a couple of our communications, and we’ve gone through to make sure that all of our schools have contact (information) on their web page. Our expectation is that our counselors are working the same hours as our teachers. They should be available between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. They can do Google Hangouts with students, Google call, email to support students who are experiencing stress, whether that’s due to just the uncertainty of what’s going on, or if it’s because of additional family responsibilities. We’re encouraging our teachers to do things, especially for younger kids, where they can log on and at least see the class and do some activities together. But then for those younger students, encouraging the parents to access our social support systems that are in place, so it’s our counselors, our social workers and psychologists, as well, but more of our counselors and social workers (that are available to help). Our school nurses are also available.

OD: When would you guess that we would know about additional school cancellations?
XT: We’re gonna make an announcement/update tomorrow (March 22) that will hopefully address through mid-April, and that’s the best we’ll be able to do with hopes that nothing changes between now and then from the state or federal government. But, we receive emails all day from both of those entities. That will be based on the most current guidance we have this weekend, and that’s what we will put in the communication that comes out. Anything we say is subject to change based on additional directions from those who are higher than us.

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