Henry County Schools reported a successful virtual return to school for the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, August 17, for their teachers and students.

  “We welcomed back over 43,000 students to learning in a remote environment thanks to our technology infrastructure, devices, and the extraordinary preparation by our teachers and staff to meet the demands of remote learning,” said JD Hardin, Henry County Schools spokesman. 

  The school year experienced a delayed start due to COVID-19, but provided extra time for Henry County Schools’ teachers and staff to prepare for the virtual learning environment that was slated to start off the year.

  “The training and preparation over the course of the three weeks leading up to our first day was incredible. There was intensive and extensive training to get our teachers and staff ready for the demands of remote learning,” he said. “The extra time really allowed everyone to better prepare for the enhanced rigor and high expectations that would be in place to start the year which were a change of pace and design from that which was experienced to end last year.”

During the first few weeks of school, the school system encountered technology and connectivity issues, however they were noted as not being “widespread.”

  “Our students and teachers did a great job letting us know when there were issues, and our Information/Technology Services Division has been working to resolve those issues as quickly as they are brought to our attention,” said Hardin. 

  Henry County School students have been completing their work on district-provided devices and hotspots and using Google Meets to attend classes. However, Google Meets has also presented connectivity issues.

  “Google Meets has been our solution for live instruction, and although there was not a widespread outage, we do have small instances of students and teachers who get logged off of sessions,” he stated. “We are working with Google to resolve the matter.”

  For those still experiencing technology issues, Henry County Schools recommends that families “be patient” while they work to resolve the problems as they arise.

  This year also marked the introduction of additional programs to accommodate families that may have scheduling conflicts, limiting their ability to provide academic assistance to their children during the school day.
  The Kindergarten through 5th grade remote learning evening program implemented by Henry County Schools currently has an enrollment of 500 students with a waitlist for parents hoping to enroll their children in the program. 

  “The younger grades approach was an opportunity to address a big concern for parents regarding childcare coverage for students and parents’ work schedules to ensure a parent was around to help a student with their classwork,” said Hardin. “We have received positive attention from around the district, state, and nation for this measure to support families.”

  Although there are not similar programs in place for students in upper grades, Henry County Schools state that they are looking at additional ways to “support learning at all levels” for their students. 

  Henry County Schools’ students are also participating in sports practices and events and are following GHSA guidelines in regard to practices and conditioning. 

  Sports currently in session are football, softball, volleyball, cross country, and cheerleading. 

  “Our coaches and athletes have been participating in daily health checks and following practice guidelines,” he stated. “We have limited spectators at sporting events.  We have been committed to letting kids play while expecting consistent and mitigating protocols to be maintained at each school.”

  Overall, Henry County Schools expresses that they are appreciative for the dedicated employees and families that have worked to make the virtual approach to learning as successful as possible. 

  “We know we all would rather be learning together and attending school, but as a district, we have really come together to make this year’s historical start as successful as possible,” said Henry County Schools. “There is consensus that Henry County teachers are absolute superstars and their preparations and dedication were evident despite the obstacles.”

  Although Henry County Schools remains in a virtual learning environment at the moment, plans are in place for a staggered return to school. 

  For more information or current updates, visit the Henry County Schools website at  www.schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/henry.