ALBANY- The Dougherty County School System will push back the restart date for school in January following a recommendation from Superintendent Kenneth Dyer Monday. 

Employees will start the 2021 calendar year working remotely, beginning January 4, with a return to buildings on January 7.  The return date for students has changed from January 5 to January 11. Typically, the community has experienced upticks immediately after holidays. These changes are designed to provide additional time to identify possible symptoms by those returning to work and in-person instruction. As always, parents will have the option to keep their students in a virtual learning environment if they wish.

“From the start, our decisions have been conditions-based,” Dyer said. “As conditions have continued to trend in the wrong direction, I feel it’s appropriate to amend the instructional calendar to allow for more time between the holiday period and the restart of school in January.”

Dyer mentioned during the December 14 Board of Education meeting that although the current plan is to return in January with an in-person option, if conditions continue to worsen, the school system could pivot to a virtual-only instructional model for a period of time.

In a letter sent out to parents following Monday’s board meeting, Dyer asked parents to make sure they’re connected to the district’s multiple communications channels -- website, social media, and mass notification system -- to ensure that they have the latest information. 

“If plans change, we will provide as much notice as possible,” said Dyer. “because we understand that decisions about our instructional models impact families throughout Dougherty County.”