The Fulton County Board of Education held their monthly board meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2021.

• Chief Talent Officer Ron Wade leads the pledge of allegiance. 

• District 5 Board Member ​Linda McCain acknowledges Jay Litherland, a former Chattahoochee High School student, for earning a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley race at the Tokyo Olympics.

• Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes presents a video recognizing Fulton County Schools’ support staff, including librarians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, nurses, social workers, and custodians.

• FCS employs approximately 14,000 support staff.

• Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones gives an update on the Fulton County Schools’ 2021 Georgia Milestone results. Find the presentation below.

Graphics courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• Jones says score reports from the Georgia Milestones (for students who took it) can be found by students and parents under the “more” button on Infinite Campus. 

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves asks about the rise in algebra scores on the Georgia Milestones.

• Jones cautions that the data for high school students has less than 10% participation and is not representative of all high school students in Fulton County.

• The Board is presented with benchmarks and updates on FCS’s Building the Bridge to Success program. Find the presentation below.

Graphics courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves praises the accountability of the program funding.

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean asks about community input for the program.

• District 6 Board Member Kimberly Dove comments that the budget for Building the Bridge to Success does not include funding for art programs.

• Supt. Looney presents the latest COVID-19 epidemiology report from this week.

Graphics Courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• Cases have risen to 398.2 per 100k residents, and Supt. Looney says that the necessary precautions must be taken.

• The closing matrix from last year is still in place, but Supt. Looney emphasizes that remote learning is a last resort.

• FCS is doing everything possible to maintain face-to-face learning with minimal distractions or disruptions for as long as possible.

• Supt. Looney says FCS will not pivot to remote learning unless schools can no longer operate due to a high number of COVID-19 positive educators.

• Remote learning may also be necessary if clustered breakouts make it impossible to provide a safe environment for learning. 

• FCS will start at the classroom level, then proceed to the grade level and school when it comes to COVID-19 contact tracing.

• Supt. Looney notes that because many exposures result from athletic programs, these programs could be shut down temporarily.

• Parents, students, and employees must report information to the COVID-19 portal if they have a pending test, positive test result, or exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. This information helps FCS conduct contact tracing.

• Students and staff who are awaiting test results or are asymptomatic may continue to attend school.

• Students and staff who are symptomatic or have a positive test result may not attend school.

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks Supt. Looney how the COVID-19 portal processes reports, since there are sometimes 400 reports per day.

• Dr. Looney admits that it is taking longer than expected to contact trace through the portal.

• He states that FCS has hired more contracted workers to help track down cases.

• Dr. Looney says that FCS has proven a face-to-face learning environment is possible and that it is imperative to maintain one to prevent students from falling behind again.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves comments that hospitals have reported a high number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and cold cases. She urges parents to keep sick children at home.

• District 5 Board Member Linda McCain asks if FCS can collect data on the number of quarantined students and staff who have become infected. 

• The Georgia Department of Public Health gave a public health order requiring those who test positive for COVID-19 or have direct contact with a positive individual to stay home.

• However, Supt. Looney notes that schools can change their quarantine orders. 

• The Board consents to all action items.

• The meeting is adjourned.