Zeta Forces Gwinnett To Cancel Thursday In-Person Classes

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — All in-person classes scheduled for Thursday in Gwinnett County Public Schools have been canceled because of anticipated severe weather spawned by Hurricane Zeta.

Instead, Gwinnett “will hold a digital learning day for all students on Thursday,” Gwinnett schools spokesperson Sloan Roach said in an emailed statement. “Both in-person and digital learners will participate in digital learning from home.”

Teachers aren’t expected to report to school and should instead plan to teach remotely from their laptops, Roach said. However, 12-month staff workers should report to work — but only if it’s safe to do so.”

The district will not be providing student meals, either for pick-up or delivery, on Thursday, Roach said.

Updates about extracurricular and afterschool activities for Thursday will be provided during the day once additional information is available.

The cancelation follows a tropical storm warning issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service for the metro Atlanta area and much of north Georgia. Heavy rain and strong winds gusting up to 55 mph are expected.

Gwinnett County is one of four metro-Atlanta districts so far to announce all-virtual classes Thursday. Cobb, Douglas and Forsyth counties also have canceled in-person classes for Thursday.