Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Berta Weathersbee Elementary School will change to virtual learning on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the number of staff members infected with COVID-19 or in quarantine.

The school will return to in-person learning on Thursday.

According to the Troup County School System, there are 14 staff members who have either tested positive, are under quarantine or are experiencing symptoms and awaiting test results. Seven of those staff members are expected to return Thursday.

Superintendent Brian Shumate said roughly half of the school’s teaching staff is impacted right now.

The school has already deep cleaned the school in preparation for students to return and several teachers under quarantine are expected to return Thursday.

“We hate that we couldn’t give families more notice, but that’s the nature of what we’re dealing with right now,” Shumate said.

Right now, BWES said it does not have enough faculty to do in-person instruction.

All students will receive synchronous (direct) and asynchronous (assignments to complete) instruction with their traditional teachers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Students will have the choice of attending one direct instruction session each day either in the morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. or in the afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Any student who did not bring their device home on Friday, should go by the school after 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning to pick up their Chromebooks.

Families were being notified of the virtual days Monday afternoon.