As parents make final preparations to prepare for their children’s school year, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney wants everybody “to be all in” on Aug. 4 when classes begin.
“I recognize that the first couple of days of school are hectic, and there’s this natural inclination where I’ll wait for the storm to calm before I send my child. But I will tell you, if you do that, you’re starting the year off behind,” Looney said in a briefing on July 29.
The superintendent referenced an article that said chronic absenteeism in Georgia is 21 percent or higher, a figure the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) listed in its paper on the topic. The agency said chronic absenteeism in the state was around 12 percent before the COVID pandemic.
The GADOE defines chronic absenteeism as the percentage of enrolled students who miss 10 percent or more school days for any reason. That would be 18 days or more in a full school year.
Research shows an inextricable link between student attendance and student performance in school, according to Looney.
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On the academic front, Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins reported that middle and high school teachers were trained in the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) education. Elementary teachers, school leaders, and new hires will receive the AI training this year.
The adoption of district-supported AI platforms, including Microsoft Copilot Chat, will help teachers with lesson planning and instructional support. Students can use School AI, which Gaskins described as a student-friendly platform that provides tutoring, classroom resources, and writing assistance.
Gaskins said Fulton County Schools will be one of the first school districts to adopt an AI career pathway at Fulton Innovation Academy in Alpharetta this year.
Chief Human Resources Officer Gonzalo La Cava said for the second year in a row, 99 percent of its open positions have been filled.
“Last week, we had over 300 new teachers be welcomed to Fulton County Schools,” La Cava said.
Chief Information Officer Joe Phillips said the school district has assigned dedicated IT technicians to each school, with two or three at high schools, one or two at each middle school, and one for each elementary school.
A five-minute first contact resolution rule will ensure that if a student brings a technology issue to the school’s IT technician, and if it isn’t resolved within five minutes, the student will be issued a new device.
Parents can sign up for an optional device protection plan. If something happens to the device issued to their child, they will be financially responsible. The $50 premium ($25 for Title 1 eligible or free and reduced lunch students) covers the device. A $50 deductible will be applied, unless it’s a fix that is less expensive, like a charger. In that case, the parents will only have to pay for the cost of the item.
Student athletes and band members practicing out in the heat are being safeguarded by use of the Perry Weather system, Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes told Rough Draft Atlanta. The system measures and monitors wet bulb readings that gauge heat and humidity.
“It’s connected to an app, so all the coaches get these notifications about when it’s reached certain levels, and they have notices that they have to stop,” Noyes said.
The equipment cost $14,000 to install in 16 high schools with an annual subscription and support cost of $47,000.
The Georgia High School Association has a policy for heat and humidity. Certain thresholds dictate what action coaches must take.
