COVID-19: GCPS returns to in-person learning Monday

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Glynn County Public Schools returned to in-person learning Monday. This comes as GCPS reported a 1.44%-positivity rate of COVID-19 among students and staff at its schools.

With three kids, Chelsea Samuels’ hands are full. Not too long ago, she was juggling work and supervising her kids as they learned virtually.

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“I had to take my kids to work with me every single day of going to school, and mind you, I had two on virtual learning and one, he didn’t have school, he was just running around,” she said.

But now, GCPS says it’s safe for kids to return to class. GCPS reports 112 students and staff are infected out of 14,708 -- that’s a 1.44%-positivity rate across the district.

As for Glynn County, the Georgia Department of Public Health reports a roughly 1.8%-positivity rate per 100,000 people, meaning 1,813 people were reportedly infected in the last two weeks.

While some parents like Samuels are on board with returning to in-person learning, others left comments on GCPS’s Facebook page wondering if the only reason numbers are low is because students haven’t been in class.

“Was this during the time kids were not at school?” one parent questioned in this post.

When another parent responded with “yes,” the other parent added, “... it’s bound to be a low count. Kids shouldn’t return so quickly.”

GCPS is currently under a “yellow level,” meaning more than 1% of its district has COVID-19. Masks are required for students and staff inside school buildings and on buses.

Action News Jax reached out to GCPS asking about options for parents who want to keep their kids virtual, and how the district plans to keep infection rates low now that in-person learning has resumed. We are waiting to hear back from the school district.

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In the meantime, Samuels is tracking the positivity rate of COVID-19 in schools. She says if it gets high, she’ll take her kids out of school.

But for now, she says, “my kids are ready to get back to school.”

She feels they’re in good hands at GCPS.

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