Here is a list of closings and cancellations due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Schools:
- Polk School District – “Polk School District has been actively following Governor Brian Kemp’s advisement regarding COVID-19. In response, we will be closing our schools beginning Monday, March 16 through Friday March 27, at which point we will re-evaluate the situation. Friday, March 13 is a regularly scheduled Teacher Work Day when more information will be disseminated regarding the plan for missed instruction during this time. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to protect the health and well-being of all Polk School District faculty, staff, and students.”
- Floyd County Schools – “In light of Gov. Kemp’s advice, and with the guidance from public health organizations, Floyd County Schools will remain closed for all staff and students through Wednesday, March 25, with current plans of classes resuming Thursday, March 26. As previously stated, central office employees and custodial staff will need to report to work on Friday, March 13. More information to come Friday We will continue to collaborate, share information, and monitor the situation with local and state health officials to help protect our school communities.”
- Rome City Schools – Rome schools are closed Friday, March 13, and resume on Monday, April 4. Extracurricular activities also are suspended. Flexible learning days are built into the outline below as are meal plans. Classes are scheduled to resume Monday, 04.06.20. During this time, the district will be closed. Any employee expected to report to work will be notified.
- Darlington School – “After carefully weighing the latest information available about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Darlington School administrators have decided to extend spring break for students to March 23 to allow appropriate time to plan for the remainder of the school year. All school activities, including athletics and other extracurricular events, will be suspended next week. “While there are confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Floyd County, we are not aware of any cases in our school community at this time,” said Head of School Brent Bell. “However, as a day and boarding school with students ranging in age from 4-18 on one campus, we are a unique community that must weigh many factors in our decision-making process. While we would certainly prefer to be in school and fully operational, we feel that this action is necessary to ensure the health and safety of our students. We need to be certain that our students will return to a setting optimal for learning.”
- Unity Christian School – closed through Friday, March 27. Classes resume Monday, March 30.
- St. Mary’s School – closed starting Monday March 16 through March 27 and is scheduled to re-open Monday March 30.
Colleges:
- Georgia Highlands, University of West Georgia, Kennesaw State, and other University System of Georgia institutions – Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all University System of Georgia institutions will temporarily suspend instruction for two weeks to allow time for USG institutions to test their business continuity plans and online instruction modules and for state officials to continue to assess the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) in Georgia. Students who are currently on spring break are strongly encouraged not to return to campus. Students on campus are asked to depart campus by close of business Friday, March 13, 2020, and to remain away from campus until March 29, 2020. At this time, students are not being asked to move out of their dorms for the remainder of the semester. For students who are unable to leave campus, institutions have been asked to develop plans to safely accommodate those students on campus.
- Shorter University – Shorter University will transition from on-campus instruction to remote delivery from March 23 through April 10. The University will take March 13-20 as a time to complete this transition. Students should check Hawkmail often for updates for specifics on remote delivery. Online classes will continue uninterrupted. All students residing in Shorter residence halls should vacate their rooms between now and Sunday, March 15, at 5 p.m. We understand that there are a limited number of students who may face unforeseen hardships based on extenuating circumstances and will need to remain on campus. Those students should contact Anthony Chatmon in Residence Life at achatmon@shorter.edu. We encourage students to take all items of value and all materials (textbooks, notes, devices, etc.) that are needed to continue their studies remotely. Shorter’s campus will continue to operate during this period, and staff should continue to report. The work of educating our students and caring for those who remain on campus will continue without interruption. All university events, including sporting events and practices, are immediately canceled through April 10, ensuring appropriate “social distancing” and helping prevent the potential spread of the virus.
- Berry College – Berry College is closing its campus to visitors through the end of March. President Steve Briggs announced this measure as part of a comprehensive approach to safeguard the health and safety of the campus community while maintaining the core educational functions of the college. As students and faculty return from spring break, Berry is choosing to remain open, but it will not be “business as usual.” Berry is putting multiple steps in place including on-campus health screening as students return from spring break, cancelling all public events through the end of March, enhancing cleaning protocols, and incorporating measures that encourage “social distancing” and limited person-to-person contact. The Southern Athletic Association has suspended all conference competition for the season. Some individual games may be scheduled on a limited basis with restrictions related to attendance. Campus events that are normally open to the public are being rescheduled or cancelled. Speakers or lectures will be taped and made available as possible. The college looks forward to welcoming our campus visitors back as soon as it is reasonable to do so.
- Georgia Northwestern Technical College – “In light of the current health issues and concerns resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19), Georgia Northwestern Technical College has made the decision to suspend all instructional classes (credit courses, adult education, and continuing education), and activities on all campuses effective 4:15 p.m., Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 22, 2020.
Events:
- Cedartown Youth Baseball – “In response to the recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and the potential transmission through close contact with others, Cedartown Youth Baseball will join other local entities and suspend 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 (𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨) until at least 3/28/2020. This is a tentative date and it may be extended at the league’s discretion. Unfortunately, this will delay Opening Day. Currently, we expect to hold 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮, 4/18/2020. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. More information will be provided as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please reach out to your coach, message us on Facebook or reach out to a CYB board member.”
- Rockmart Recreation Department – “We have made the decision on the precautionary side and school closing.
We will suspend all Recreational activity until school is reopened. The safety of our kids and community are a priority.
– Jeff Hulsey.” - Harlem Globetrotters at Darlington School – The ‘Pushing the Limits’ tour was due at Darlington Monday but the team made this announcement Thursday: “Like so many other leagues and organizations, today the Globetrotters announced that we are suspending all planned games on our tour from Friday, March 13 through Thursday, March 19, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We are following Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, as well as monitoring the situation daily with updates from experts in the field and consultation with peers throughout our professional networks and industry. The health and safety of our fans and players is of paramount importance to us. The Globetrotters encourage all ticket holders to hold on to tickets, as the team will make every effort to reschedule as soon as possible. All tickets for postponed games will be honored. If the postponed dates are unable to be rescheduled, refunds will be given from the point of purchase.”