BUFORD — On Thursday morning, word came down from the Buford City Schools will not delay the start of school by a week like their neighboring school district of Gwinnett County. As of now, Buford City Schools will begin their upcoming school year on August 5. This applies to both in-person learning and digital learning.
The hotly debated topic of whether or not children will be required to wear masks to in-person learning was also addressed. While Buford City Schools stopped short of making masks mandatory in classrooms like Gwinnett County, they are strongly encouraging students to wear cloth face masks in the classrooms. Students who will ride a Buford City bus must wear a mask while on the school bus. Any child who does not have a mask when they board a bus will be provided a disposable mask to wear while en route to and from school.
Buford City Schools knows that some families are struggling with the decision on whether or not to send their children to in-person learning at the schools or to enroll their children in the digital learning option that is available. Their Curriculum Department has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions page to assist families in making their decision.
The school system will be holding Virtual Town Hall meetings on July 14 hosted by Superintendent Dr. Robert Downs. The purpose of these meetings will be so that parents can ask any additional questions that they may have before the deadline to enroll in digital learning passes. The meetings will be held with each school’s principal. The first meeting will be for grades K-5 at 6 p.m. and for grades 6-12, their meeting will be held at 7 p.m. If any parent wishes to submit a question for the meeting(s), they may do so by filling out a form. The links to view these meetings will be sent on Monday, July 13.
For more information regarding Buford City Schools’ Return to Learn Fall 2020 plans, please visit their Return to Learn Fall 2020 webpage.
As for the Class of 2020’s graduation ceremony, Buford City Schools is still planning on holding their ceremony on July 24 at the Buford Arena. Graduates have been limited to six tickets each unlike in recent years where there hasn’t been a limit on the number of guests one could have attend the ceremony. If all 328 members of the Class of 2020 participate in the ceremony, that will be 1,968 guests at the Arena which can hold up to 5,500 people.
— Staff Reports
