BCSS Families, 

I am writing to inform you all students at Henderson Middle School and Jackson High School will  continue with virtual learning through Tuesday, August 31. We will plan to resume in-person learning  on Wednesday, September 1 for HMS and JHS students. This decision only impacts Henderson Middle School and Jackson High School. All other schools in the Butts County School System will  continue to operate as currently scheduled. 

The number of students and staff returning from a quarantine and/or a positive test result is  improving each day. However, as we continue to evaluate the number of staff and students eligible  to return on Monday, we still have many students and several staff that would need some additional  time. As we look further into the week, the numbers drop considerably. For example, if we were to  resume in-person learning at JHS on Monday, we would still have approximately 400 students  completing a required quarantine or isolation. At HMS our number of quarantines and/or isolations  are considerably better (approximately 81) – however we still have five staff members that need  additional time to complete a required quarantine or isolation. By waiting until Wednesday to resume  in-person learning, we greatly reduce these numbers and it gives us time to evaluate any health  concerns that might have developed over the weekend. We will continue to ensure transparency in  reporting current COVID-19 data on our website and by providing relevant notifications to our  families. 

As noted previously, we have used this time to thoroughly disinfect all of our facilities at HMS and  JHS. Additionally, we are evaluating instructional environments to maximize physical distancing and  will continue to revise procedures as needed to minimize close contacts. We look forward to  welcoming our students back to campus on Wednesday morning. HMS & JHS staff members will  continue to report to campus and provide daily instruction through Google Classroom.  

We thank you for your continued support and collaboration as we navigate through this challenging  time. We remain hopeful and optimistic that better days are ahead. Please continue to do your part  to help us minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our community. Finally, it is imperative that students  remain at home if they are sick and that you notify the school of any positive test results. 

Dr. Todd Simpson
Superintendent