Gordon County online learning days to replace emergency snow days

CALHOUN — At the Gordon County Board of Education meeting, members voted to follow surrounding counties in replacing snow days with online lesson plans posted by teachers. Moving forward, in the case of canceled school for emergency weather, students will be given online assignments and be able to communicate online with teachers from home.

At Friday’s work session, Director of Technology Bryan Nicholson presented the results of a trial run online learning day that took place on the district’s Jan. 29 snow day.

Surveys conducted by the technology department came back reporting 97 percent of teachers thought the online learning day served as a good replacement for snow days and better maintained students’ focus when school returned to session.

Online learning days have already been implemented by surrounding districts such as Calhoun City Schools, Floyd County Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools. This program ensures that missed school days due to inclement weather will not have to be made up, neither through built-in days nor extended calendars.

Superintendent Susan Remillard recommended the board approve inclement weather days to be replaced by online learning days.

Remillard said there would be an option for future adjusting the online learning plan and the board indicated they would like to retain the ability to alter the plan in the case of several consecutive missed days. Remillard also recommended the district’s calendar still build in extra days for extended time off.