The Polk School District will soon be providing a plan for the Board of Education to approve for students to return to classrooms for the upcoming 2020-21 Academic Year.

On the district’s Facebook on Tuesday, officials posted the following message discussing the plans for a return to normal business for students and educators alike:

“We realize everyone is anxious to know our plans for returning to school. Please know that Polk School District has been working diligently to ensure that we stay abreast of the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation, while collecting feedback from our parents and staff regarding the transition back into our buildings. The health and well-being of our students and faculty is our number one priority. Therefore, we will continue to monitor and gauge the situation leading up to the reveal of our “Roadmap Back to PSD” on Wednesday, July 8, that will include detailed information on our plan. Thank you for your patience and partnership with Polk School District.”

Superintendent Laurie Atkins said that school officials have been working hard to develop the plan.

“Polk School District has been working diligently to create a plan to return back to school in August. We have sought input, guidance, and suggestions from the CDC, Department of Public Health, the Georgia Department of Education and our parents and employees for this transition,” Atkins said. “As always, the health and well-being of our students and faculty is our number one priority. We will be providing the detailed plan to the public on Wednesday, July 8th via our website and Facebook.”

The plan has been in the works in the weeks and months following Governor Brian Kemp’s order to keep campuses closed through the end of the regular school year. The last time students were in the classroom was mid-March, after PSD announced they would be shuttering schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the closure, students were given distance learning packets to complete to help their final grades for the 2019-2020 school year. Those wrapped up in mid-April.

Graduation is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday to cap off June, a month after the original planned date.