DALTON, Ga. — Superintendents Judy Gilreath of Whitfield County Schools and Tim Scott of Dalton Public Schools joined Lynn Laughter, chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, Tuesday night for a virtual meeting to discuss the ways in which the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has altered the final two months of this academic year — and possibly the future.

“We’re all living in unprecedented times,” Laughter said. There are “lots of questions we haven’t had to answer before.”

Both school systems went to digital learning in mid-March and will complete this academic year in that fashion. Whether students and staff can return to buildings on time in August remains to be seen. 

Certainly, “we will sanitize and deep clean all buildings before students enter,” Scott said. “We will take all precautions.”

The idea of providing personal protective equipment to all students and staff, however, is unrealistic, Gilreath said. “It’s impossible.” 

Dalton Public Schools will use this summer for professional learning for teachers so they are better prepared for online instruction should that become necessary again, Scott said. “We hope and pray that doesn’t happen,” but “we want to be prepared.” 

Dalton Public Schools students in grades three and up already had one-to-one devices that could access digital content or the internet before the pandemic, and the system was able to find devices for most of the second-graders, too, Scott said. Younger students are learning from Choice Boards, books provided by the system and assignments directly from teachers. 

Whitfield County Schools would need approximately 2,100 more devices to provide one to every child in that system, and those Chromebooks cost approximately $250 each, Gilreath said. Some students in the system also have no — or spotty — internet access, so “we were not as prepared (for this) as we have to be next time.” 

Dalton Public Schools has partnered with Dalton Utilities to provide internet access for families who didn’t have it, Scott said. More than 90% of students now have Wi-Fi capability. 

Both superintendents consider graduation ceremonies of utmost value.

Dalton Public Schools currently has a graduation date scheduled for May 22, with a backup date in July (24-25), but the system is surveying students and parents regarding their opinions about graduation, Scott said. Administrators want to know if social distancing restrictions will only permit students at the May graduation, with no guests, should that ceremony still proceed, via a live stream, or would families prefer to try for a regular commencement in July.

“The thing is, there’s no guarantee we could do it” with guests in July, either, Scott said. The system will gather feedback, then “make a decision in the next week or two.” 

In addition, each school is looking at ways to recognize students at the end of the year, albeit virtually, Scott said. “It looks very different than a normal school year.” 

Currently, graduation for Phoenix High School is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 18, Northwest Whitfield High School’s for 7 p.m. on June 19, Coahulla Creek High School’s for 10 a.m. on June 20 and Southeast Whitfield High School’s for 5 p.m. on June 20, all at the Dalton Convention Center. All will be live-streamed, but the number of guests and other details have yet to be determined. 

“I want them to have a graduation ceremony, (but) normally when we have graduation, it’s packed,” Gilreath said. The size and scope of this year’s commencement ceremonies will be “at the mercy of the virus and what the government tells us we can do.” 

The reconfiguration of Dalton Public Schools next year remains “on target,” and “we’re excited about the opportunities that will bring,” Scott said. In August 2021, a magnet school for students in grades 10-12 will open on the campus of the current Dalton Middle School, and Dalton High School will also become a 10-12 institution; Hammond Creek Middle School, a school for students in grades six and seven, will also open, as will a yet-to-be-named school for students in grades eight and nine.

Furthermore, ground has been broken for a Junior Achievement Discovery Center, to be on the grounds of Hammond Creek, Scott said. That will benefit not only Dalton students, not only Whitfield County students, but “all young people in northwest Georgia.” 

Construction of a new Valley Point Middle School, scheduled to open this August, is roughly six weeks behind schedule due to troublesome weather, but the completion date had been in March, so even with a modest delay, the building will be ready in plenty of time to host students, Gilreath said. The new North Whitfield Middle School is also slightly behind, but it will also be ready as scheduled for the 2021-22 academic year, while the gym at Westside Middle School won’t be ready in August, but will be open the following month.

Both systems continue to feed students even with buildings closed. 

After initially serving meals five days per week, Whitfield County Schools has cut back to three days per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), but multiple meals are being served on those days to make sure children have enough to eat, Gilreath said. Since March 17, the system has served nearly 200,000 meals. 

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and both superintendents have been impressed by how their educators have adjusted to online instruction. 

“They do it because they love children,” Scott said. “I take my hat off to all our teachers.” 

Often, teachers “are like a second mamma and daddy to (students),” Gilreath said. “Teachers miss their kids as much as kids miss their teachers.”