Hoboken Elementary School

will close and transition to distance learning

Friday, August 14th through Friday, August 21st.
(Students will not come to school beginning tomorrow)
Hoboken Elementary school has been excited to have our wonderful Trojans back on campus and
understands that our children need in-person social interaction and consistent school routines to
thrive academically and emotionally. Brantley County Schools worked throughout the summer to
develop multiple-scenario safety plans with the health and well-being of our children and staff as our
priority. One of these plans called for brief school closures if the system had isolated clusters of
COVID-19 in certain classrooms or schools. While there are ​no ​students at Hoboken Elementary
School who have reported testing positive for COVID-19, we have had adults who had to quarantine
due to positive test results or exposure. When a person tests positive, school officials work with Ga
DPH to ensure all contact tracing guidelines are followed, and the individual as well as any close
contacts that were exposed are asked to stay home and follow the strict quarantine guidance as
defined by the CDC and Ga DPH.

While we understand the spread of COVID-19 will happen in both the community and schools, our
school system will be diligent in our efforts to be extra cautious and make sure we do everything
possible to decrease the spread. For this reason, Hoboken Elementary School will follow safety
plans, closing the school briefly and move students to distance learning during that time. We will use
this time for mitigation measures to slow/decrease the spread of the virus. Your child’s classroom
teacher will be in touch with you as we begin with distance learning tomorrow and next week. We look
forward to seeing our Trojans back at school on Monday, August 24th. Please see below for
commonly asked questions regarding a change in school services.

Does my child have to do school-work during the closure?

Yes. Students will be asked to complete classwork via the Google classroom platform during the
distance learning period. Additional printed work may be sent to students as well. Your child’s teacher
will be in communication with you regarding your child’s assignments.

Does my child have access to school breakfast and lunch during the closure?

Yes. On Friday 8/14, 6 days of meals will be available via drive-up at HES from 11AM-12:30PM.
Meals cannot be provided for weekends. To pick-up meals parents will need to provide the student
name and homeroom teacher name. Please drive-thru the regular parent drop-off/pick-up entry to
pick-up meals.

Return to traditional school

At this time, our plan is to return to traditional school at HES on ​Monday, August 24th. ​This will be a
normal school day and school buses will run at normal times.

Will other schools in Brantley County be transitioning to distance learning on Friday?

No. There are minimal to no other positive cases in the other schools in the system. School officials
will continue to work with Ga DPH to determine if the number of positive cases indicates a need to
close a school temporarily for a few days to deep clean and keep students and staff from being
around each other for a short time period. ​These decisions will be made on a school by school
basis​. While Ga DPH ​did not​ suggest for the school to close, the school district has decided in an
abundance of caution to transition to distance learning temporarily to give our employees and
students a short period of time apart. The empty buildings will be deep cleaned and sanitized during
this time.

Was my child exposed to Covid-19?

Our teachers and other employees have been diligent in their efforts to distance as much as possible;
although, it is more challenging when you teach the younger students. If your child is considered a
possible close contact to a positive COVID case, then you will receive a call from a Hoboken
Elementary School employee on the same day that a school employee becomes aware of the
possible exposure. Very few of these calls have been made - and the ones that were made were
again out of an ​abundance of caution​ because the child was in the room with the adult - not
necessarily because the child had close contact to the adult.

Why are schools considered critical to the infrastructure of a community encouraged to be

open during a pandemic?

From American Association of Pediatrics ​- “We recognize that children learn best when
physically present in the classroom…. The pandemic has reminded so many what we have long
understood: that educators are invaluable in children’s lives and that attending school in person offers
children a wide array of health and educational benefits.” ​https://services.aap.org/
 From the CDC​ - “​Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of our communities, as
they provide safe, supportive learning environments for students, employ teachers and other staff,
and enable parents, guardians, and caregivers to work. Schools also provide critical services that
help meet the needs of children and families...” ​cdc.gov