The largest school system in Alabama started its school year without a single student walking through its doors. On Tuesday, September 1, the Mobile County Public School System launched its first day of classes in an all-virtual format, leaving hallways and classrooms quiet while lessons moved onto screens at home.
District officials had planned for students to learn online for at least the first nine weeks of the year, with any return to campuses dependent on the course of COVID-19 cases across the county.
At Pillans Middle School, eighth grade math teacher Pamela Haines described the strange feeling of teaching to a grid of faces she could not see in person. She said she imagines her students sitting in the classroom with her even while they tune in from home.
Solving the technology hurdles
Principal Jacinda Hollins said her staff was working family by family to iron out device and connectivity problems during the opening days. She pointed out that families who had not yet received a Chromebook were not locked out: Schoology, the district’s learning platform, runs in a web browser and works on phones, tablets, iPads and laptops alike.
To reach households with unreliable internet, the district stationed WiFi buses at points across the county so students could get online near their neighborhoods.
MCPSS leaders said they would keep monitoring coronavirus figures and give parents the choice between returning to campus or staying virtual once in-person classes resume. When that day comes, Hollins said teachers — not students — will rotate between classrooms to keep hallway traffic down and allow social distancing.