Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
The Monroe County Board of Education has taken action to strengthen student and staff safety measures as the spread of Covid-19 cases continues to soar in the community. The move to require masks in face-to-face school settings in grades six through twelve came during the Board's Tuesday, January 12, 2021 meeting.

Dr. Jeremy Goodwin, in his first Board meeting as the newly-elected representative from District 4, asked fellow members to consider the move as an additional step to attempt to hold the line on a post-holiday surge in cases of Covid throughout the community.  

"I think we need to be much more aggressive within our school system to do everything we can to lower the number of cases," said Dr. Goodwin. "We worry about our teachers, we worry about our students; I worry about their parents, I worry about their grandparents, because those are the people I will be taking care of at the hospital."

After lengthy discussion, Goodwin made a motion to institute the mask requirement for students and staff in middle and high school grade levels, noting the exception for times when social distancing is possible (such as outside activities) and while eating breakfast and lunch.

The vote to approve the motion was 4-3. Supporting the motion were Dr. Goodwin, Dr. Priscilla Doster, Nolen Howard and J.P. Evans. Opposing were Stuart Pippin, Eva Bilderback, and Greg Head.

The board tasked the school administration with setting protocols, including an effective date for the requirement. Also discussed was the need for all schools to continue making masks available for students who may not have one or who may have left theirs at home. Masks are available at schools and on school buses for students who need one.

The new requirement to wear masks will be effective starting Tuesday, January 19 -- the first day following the MLK Jr. Day holiday. As an option to the requirement for wearing masks, students in middle and high school will be given the opportunity to move from face-to-face to virtual learning and vice versa. This window will be open through Friday, January 22. Parents wishing to make a change in their child's learning platform can make that request by following this link: https://forms.gle/MdFKcUmqDdhX7WD69

For more information, please contact your child's school administration.
This is the latest Covid-19 update from Monroe County Schools. Please look for this update weekly in Monroe Messages and on the system website. For more on Monroe County Schools' Covid-19 response, see the Monroe County Schools Covid-19 Toolkit on the system website.
Every two years, the Monroe County Board of Education votes for the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair at their first meeting of the year. At the Tuesday, January 12 meeting, the majority of the board members voted to make Dr. Priscilla Doster the chairperson for the next two years. The majority of the board members also voted to make Mr. Nolen Howard the vice-chair.  

To view Monroe County Board of Education meetings, see the livestream feeds at the Monroe County Schools Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwUUtxkP_yHjJwp27mIE-HQ.

To view Monroe County Board of Education agendas, minutes, policies, member listing, and continuous improvement plans, see the Simbli Portal at https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Index.aspx?S=4117.  
Congratulations to all District Spelling Bee participants and winners!
Click here to view list of participants.
Second Semester A/B Schedule
The Middle and High School will resume implementing an A/B schedule for face-to-face (F2F) students. By cutting the number of students by half each day, the school will be able to social distance much more effectively and greatly reduce or alleviate exposure to CV-19. Please see links below to determine your student's schedule.
The Board of Education approved Calendar Option C at their December 15 meeting. Thank you to all for reviewing the three calendar options. 
Note: Only for 6-12 students who are boys and girls club members.
Monroe County School Nutrition Program is excited to offer meal pickup service on WEDNESDAYS (5 lunches and 5 breakfasts) 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM for A/B SCHEDULE and VIRTUAL LEARNERS ONLY. These meals will be provided to your student for a limited time at no charge as a result of the extended waiver under the Seamless Summer USDA Meals Program. This program will be for Monroe County Schools A/B SCHEDULED STUDENTS and VIRTUAL LEARNERS. Student lunch number will be required at pick up. Student will not need to be present for pick up, but you may be asked to show confirmation of this form completion to the School Nutrition Employee providing the meals.

The exclusive location for this pick up will be the Samuel E. Hubbard Elementary School bus loading/unloading area. This form is due every Thursday by 3 p.m. in the week prior to pick up.
Governor Kemp: Georgia Lottery Posts Record Quarter for HOPE, Pre-K
Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s most profitable quarter in its 27-year history. The Georgia Lottery registered more than $383,352,000 in profits for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, bringing the total transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account to approximately $22.7 billion.

“The Georgia Lottery continues to produce strong results for Georgia’s HOPE and Pre-K programs,” said Governor Kemp. “Students and families throughout the Peach State benefit greatly from the Lottery's continued success, and we appreciate their hard work to support education in Georgia."

The Georgia Lottery’s record FY21 first quarter, which began July 1, comes on the heels of a record fiscal year that generated more than $1.23 billion for HOPE and Pre-K.

“Our record first quarter provides a strong foundation to build upon for the remainder of the fiscal year,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin. “I appreciate the support provided by Governor Kemp, the legislature, and our board of directors. I am also grateful for our exceptional employees, retailers, vendors and partners, and our players.”

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned approximately $22.7 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.9 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.6 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp., please visit: www.galottery.com.

Please note: Protocols are updated to include that masks are required to ride the bus.
Outdoor Wifi Provided by Monroe County Schools http://www.monroe.k12.ga.us :
This wifi will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. No password required. Users should look for the Open Network sign and join using their device.


  • Mary Persons High School Main Campus
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance and Bus Loading Area at Rear of School

  • T. G. Scott Elementary School 
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance and Bus Loading Area at Rear of School near Gym

  • Samuel E. Hubbard Elementary School
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance and Bus Loading Area at Rear of School

  • K. B. Sutton Elementary School
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance 

  • Monroe County Middle School
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance and Bus Loading Area at Rear of School

  • Monroe County Achievement Center
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance

  • Monroe County Fine Arts Center 
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance

  • Monroe County Board of Education
Outdoor Wifi near Front Entrance closest to wheelchair ramp
SmartBus Wifi Provided by Monroe County Schools and Southern Rivers Energy:
Available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Look for the SMARTBUS sign in the window of the bus.

Monroe County Schools Buses will be located in three areas

  • The Sanctuary 12643 Ga Hwy 87, Juliette 31046
  • Monroe County Recreation Department Complex 1080 GA-42, Forsyth 31029
  • Sunoco Gas Station 4988 High Falls Rd, Jackson 30233
Supporting Online Learning
The following are community locations which are providing wifi services to students. Please contact the community organization if you have questions.

Community Locations for Wifi Service:



  • Culloden Community Center 39 College Street, Culloden 31016 will be open Monday through Friday (contact- Lynn Miller, Mayor at 478-957-2377) https://cityofculloden.com/

  • Culloden City Hall 9 College Street, Culloden 31016 will be open Monday through Friday starting at 2 pm until (contact- Lynn Miller, Mayor at 478-957-2377) https://cityofculloden.com/





There are other local businesses and organizations with public wifi throughout Forsyth and Monroe County.

Please reach out to these organizations if you are interested. Schedules may be adjusted based on the organization's needs and demand of the community partner.
Click here for printable document.