Fowler Drive Elementary School is located at 400 Fowler Dr. in West Athens. Due to a lack of staff to operate in-person schooling, FDES returned to virtual instruction after a week of in-person instruction on Nov. 16. “I kind of look at it as a tad unlucky that staff, we did accommodate a large number of staff that were already working virtually, so we just didn’t have a lot of extra staff to be able to cover the necessary quarantine spots, but we are going to make it (so school starts on time again) and we’ll welcome students back on Monday (Nov. 9),” Clarke County School District Communications Manager Beth Moore said. Photo fair use of the Grady News Source
Fowler Drive Elementary School principal Selecia Hardy announced in a letter to parents on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that they would be returning to virtual instruction effective Friday, Nov. 13, due to a large number of teachers being exposed to COVID-19 before students returned to in-person instruction.
“We were extremely excited and prepared to welcome students back this past Monday. (…) At the time of this communication, none of the staff members currently quarantining have tested positive for COVID-19. However, out of an abundance of caution and our commitment to following Department of Public Health guidelines, we are quarantining all affected staff members,” Hardy stated in the letter.
According to Clarke County School District Communications Manager Beth Moore, CCSD was involved in the decision-making process of pausing in-person instruction at FDES due to the lack of staff available for in-person instruction.
“(Hardy) and the district leaders had a short term plan to get through the week, and they brought in certified staff from our central office and they rearranged system shifts and resources to be able to cover to the end of this week,” Moore said. “This is a combination of our nursing staff, our principals, the district administrators, our (Human Resources) department to make decisions (on how to operate FDES and teach students with limited staff). So it’s not a single person that’s making that decision.”
Quickly after the announcement by FDES, parents shared their thoughts on the CCSD Town Hall Facebook Group. CCSD Town Hall member Brianna Nichols believes that CCSD should have waited longer before returning to in-person instruction.
“The rush to get them back in, in the middle of the year while cases were still going up was unnecessary and inconsiderate! I don’t think it matters that it’s just staff, because it takes one staff member to pass it on to one student and they’re back virtual again. The lack of patience is sad,” Nichols said in a post within the group.
““(CCSD administration is) going to evaluate our data and evaluate the conditions, and then if we need to pivot we’re going to pivot, which is what we did in the case of Fowler, but hopefully going forward, we won’t have to have such a drastic situation.””
— Beth Moore,
CCSD Communications Manager
FDES will be returning to in-person instruction on Nov. 30, and according to Moore, CCSD does not envision additional schools taking similar virtual learning breaks for the remainder of the school year due to their COVID-19 protocols.
“We’re just now getting our data, right, this is the first time our students have been back and connecting on campus. So it’s kind of where we really see where we are, and how our students and our families are adapting. From what (CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas) told the (Board of Education), she was very encouraged by students following rules and practicing the right behaviors,” Moore said. “(CCSD administration is) going to evaluate our data and evaluate the conditions, and then if we need to pivot we’re going to pivot, which is what we did in the case of Fowler, but hopefully going forward, we won’t have to have such a drastic situation.”
