Some US schools are pulling the plug on distance learning

CUSSETA, Georgia (AP) — After the Chattahoochee County school district called an early end to the school year, seniors lined up one day last week to complete their graduation paperwork.

Students who hadn’t seen each other since in-person classes ended abruptly in March amid the coronavirus outbreak commiserated over all they’ve missed out on, including the prom and a senior class trip.

Some also wondered about what they may have lost academically.

“Honestly, remote learning, I don’t think was my favorite thing,” said 18-year-old Isabella Branson.

“It’s kind of hard to stay motivated when you don’t have anything to look forward to and you don’t see your friends.”

The small district in rural Georgia is among many around the US that have pulled the plug on distance learning, all citing familiar reasons.

It’s too stressful, the lack of devices and internet access is too much to overcome, and what students get from it just isn’t worth the struggle.

In Georgia, where the school year is ending early for one of every 10 students, many district leaders say the final weeks of the school year would have been dedicated anyway to preparing for and taking standardised tests that are now cancelled.

The governor and state schools superintendent who have moved to dismantle parts of Georgia’s high-stakes testing system have said they are not opposed to fewer instructional days.

“We didn’t cut any class time out,” Chattahoochee County High School Principal Josh Kemp said. “There was no reason to pile more on our parents and students.”

But Kemp and others also acknowledge that there was material that wasn’t covered and that teachers will have to find a way to fold it in next year for returning students.

“They weren’t able to get all the standards,” said Tammy Bailey, the science department chair at the high school. “I think there will be a gap.”

Classes had been scheduled to run through May 21 but remote instruction instead came to an end May 8 in the Chattahoochee County school district.

A majority of the high school’s 450 students live on the US Army’s sprawling Fort Benning, while a minority live around the small town of Cusseta.

Only 59% of households in the district have access to broadband internet at home.

Other districts around the country that are ending the school year early including Omaha and some nearby suburban districts in Nebraska, Washington, D.C., and some in New Hampshire.

Officials say they want to relieve stress on families, ease problems for students without internet access, and focus on preparing for a fresh start in the fall.

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