THOMAS COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) — The Thomas County Board of Education announced a series of policy changes and plans for the remainder of the second semester for the 2020-2021 school year in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
The policy changes stem from the board's February meeting where new off days were announced as well as policies regarding student success.
"The school system is requiring all students who have been enrolled in online instruction and who are failing two or more academic classes to return to in-person instruction on Feb. 24," wrote Thomas County Schools.
The only exception to the new rule is a student whose doctor recommends continuing remote learning due to health reasons.
Thomas County Schools also announced that they would be enacting a "Finish Strong" plan, which calls for the return of more students to in-person learning and aims to reduce the number of teachers who have to simultaneously teach both in-person and online classes.
A plan for students who have fallen behind during the pandemic, but can't recover within the confines of a normal year has also been made.
"The school board has authorized a four-week summer school for students who need an extended school year to master the essential standards required for promotion," wrote Thomas County Schools.
The school board is also encouraging all remote learning students to return to in-person instruction on Feb. 24 as well but stopped short of requiring them to do so.
New off days were also announced to accommodate all the new changes.
"To provide time for administrators, counselors, and teachers to make adjustments to prepare for the return of students who have been enrolled in online instruction, Feb. 22 and 23 will become student holidays and teacher workdays," said Thomas County Schools. "March 26 will also become a student holiday/teacher workday."
More information on the "Finish Strong" plan can be found by clicking here.
