By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com

DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. — DeKalb County Superintendent of Education, Dr. Jason Barnett held a press conference on Friday, July 3 to announce steps for the reopening of DeKalb County Schools for the 2020-2021 school year. 

“COVID-19 is going to go down as one of the most, if not the most, disruptive in modern history, especially in K-12 history” stated Barnett. 

Parents and guardians have the option of their children attending a traditional school setting or by remote learning via virtual attendance. 

DeKalb County educators will begin the school year on August 3.  The date for students to return will be pushed back from the original start date of August 7. DeKalb County will reopen beginning on August 10 with a staggered entry schedule.  Students with the last name beginning with A-G will return to campus on that date.  Students with the last name beginning with H-M will report to campus on August 11.  Students with the last name beginning with N-S will report to campus on August 12.  All students with the last name beginning with T-Z will report on August 13.  All students will come to campus on August 14.  

DeKalb County School students will be provided a Chromebook for learning in the classroom and for home instruction should the schools for closed for additional safety concerns. 

Dr. Barnett took the opportunity to thank Farmers Telephone Cooperative for providing “hot spot” internet access to several communities during the COVID-19 crisis. 

When school resumes, Dr. Barnett said students will see several changes.  Teachers will be required to wear masks following Governor Kay Ivey’s “Safer at Home Order” for educational institutions. Students are encouraged to wear masks to campus but this will be left to the discretion of parents.  There will be some cases where masks will be mandatory, such as when a student is on the school bus. 

The Board will follow the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) recommendations regarding fall sports when those decisions are made in a meeting scheduled for this week.  Athletes who are practicing their respective sports are using the safety procedures as set out by the AHSAA.

DeKalb County has published the Families Guide for School Re-Entry for the 2020-2021 school year that can be found on  DeKalb County Superintendents Facebook page @DrJasonBarnett.

In an interview with Southern Torch, Dr. Barnertt answered specific questions from parents.  That interview can be found on the Southern Torch Facebook page.