MOULTRIE, Ga. —  The Colquitt County Board of Education released a statement Monday afternoon on the present and future state of county schools during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The plan will allow students to accept their grades as of the last day of classes, March 13, or to engage in online learning opportunities to improve those grades. Regardless of what happens in the online coursework, the students’ grades cannot be lower than they were on March 13 in those classes.

The material being covered online will be available in a printed format April 16 so students without internet access can participate too, the system’s release said.

“In accordance with the latest executive order issued by Governor Kemp on April 1, 2020, the Colquitt County School System has extended its emergency closure for all schools to remain closed for in-person instruction through the remainder of this school year,” said the release.

“The Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) has worked to provide maximum flexibility to districts to allow them to focus on the safety and health of their students and staff during this time. On March 31, 2020, the GADOE issued the following statement in regard to the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had and will have on the lives of students: ‘It is critical [school districts] ensure that students are not penalized for circumstances over which they had no control. Students should not be held back in their expected progression — graduation, advancement to the next grade, etc. — as a result of the COVID-19 school closures.’ 

“All teachers are in the process of contacting their students and families to check-in, discuss continuing learning opportunities, and final grades,” the school system release said. “Participation in learning opportunities provided for students can only positively affect a student’s grade moving forward. Student grades will not be negatively impacted as a result of COVID-19. No students’ grades at the end of the second semester can be lower than the grades received on March 13, 2020. Any student who was on track to graduate on March 13, 2020 will receive credit for all courses for which they were enrolled on or before March 13th. The system is actively evaluating all options related to graduation ceremonies in conjunction with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Georgia Department of Human Services.

“Teachers will continue to provide learning opportunities through designated Google digital tools for grades K-12,” the release continued. “Additional instructional print materials for K-8 students have been curated specifically for students who are not able to access the lessons provided through Google Meet due to lack of internet access. These resources will provide reinforcement of grade level literacy and mathematics expectations. They will be packaged for grab-and-go access to maximize social distancing. These resources will be available at each school after April 16, 2020. Principals will provide specific instructions on the pickup of these materials through REMIND, the school website, and/or social media.

“Additionally, students in grades 9-12 (and 8th grade students taking 9th grade classes) will have the opportunity to choose to accept their grades as of Friday, March 13, 2020 in core curriculum courses required for graduation and HOPE grade point average calculation as final grades for 2019-2020 or they may continue to improve grades for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year through unit recovery activities. These activities will be provided to students via online classwork programs or hard copy resources if students are not able to access the internet. Specific directions on this process will be provided by Colquitt County High School and C.A. Gray Junior High School through REMIND, the schools’ websites, and social media.”

School Superintendent Doug Howell said, “The COVID-19 pandemic and closure of all Colquitt County Schools has profoundly impacted the daily lives of our students, teachers, and families. During this unpredictable time, teaching and learning obviously looks different than it did before, but the system continues to grow and learn as one as we navigate unprecedented challenges in public education with an unwavering dedication to our students, families, and communities.”