Jefferson County School System To Delay Start To School Year

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL — Following the lead of several school systems in the county, the Jefferson County Board of Education voted Tuesday morning to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year and to shift to a virtual learning platform for the first nine weeks of the year.

School will begin Tuesday, Sept. 1 for the system, rather than the Aug. 24 start date originally announced. After nine weeks, the board will re-evaluate the situation and determine if students can safely return to schools.

"Over the last two and a half weeks we have been hearing from our community and holding town hall meetings," Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin said. "As soon as we can we will be bringing students on campus in a controlled fashion."

The school system had originally offered three learning platform options for the first semester, with in-person schooling being one of the options. However, with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County, the board was forced to revisit the in-person learning option.

The school system also sent out surveys and 56 percent of parents asked for online instruction and 44 percent preferred face-to-face instruction.

SEE ALSO:

• Jefferson County Releases COVID-19 Cases By ZIP Code
• Mask Mandate Extended In Alabama