Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced in a press release this morning that phased-in face-to-face classroom instruction will begin October 5.

The press release is reprinted in its entirety below:

Superintendent Ragsdale Announces a Start Date for Cobb’s Phased Model for Face-to-Face Instruction

The pandemic has impacted each of us differently, but it has affected us all. Never would I have thought about starting a school year in a 100% remote environment, nor would I have ever wanted to—but this had to be the decision with the health and safety of our staff, teachers, and students being the top priority. No one knows better than I do about the benefit of our 113,000 students being actively engaged with our fantastic teachers in each of our classrooms.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the three parameters of community spread, effective contact tracing protocol, and efficient testing timeliness impacting our decision to offer face-to-face instruction have all been trending in a positive direction. This news allows us to announce the start date for our phased plan to provide both face-to-face and remote learning environments.

On the Monday following Fall break, October 5th, 2020, we plan to begin Phase One of our return to face-to-face instruction.* I trust that everyone will continue to do everything they can to keep the numbers moving in the right direction.

One critical aspect of our plan is that as parents choose either face-to-face or remote-learning classrooms, students will continue to be taught by their current teachers. Face-to-face and remote-learning students in the same class will receive the same instruction from the same teacher. This will prevent disruptions to existing relationships students have made with teachers and will protect teachers from being asked to do two jobs at the same time…

Click here for more details about Cobb Schools Reopening Plan

*This date is subject to public health data and guidance for Cobb County.