Putnam City School Votes To Push Back Start Date For Academic Year

The Putnam City School Board said its students will start school a week later than originally planned because of COVID-19 concerns.

District students will start classes on Thursday, Aug. 27, instead of on Friday, Aug. 21.

Board members said by delaying the first day of school, teachers will have more time to put together a virtual learning plan, since the district will start the first nine weeks of school completely online.

During its board meeting near the end of July, the district announced every student would be assigned their own devices to help with the virtual learning. If families do not have Internet access, the district said they should use WiFi zones at the school or local businesses.

In the Putnam City Schools Board Highlights released, district leaders said they are confident students with IEPs or Individualized Learning Program, will be taken care of, though they didn’t provide many details.

Board members said halfway through that nine-week, virtual learning period, they will go over the current COVID-19 situation and decide if they should stick to online learning or switch to in-person classes.