In this July file photo, Lowndes County Schools teachers protest outside a school board meeting Monday evening, demanding that the reopening of county schools be delayed. The group plans a July 27 Lowndes County Motor March to protest the reopening. 

VALDOSTA — Wearing safety masks and carrying placards urging “Delay the start” and “No one should have to die because of school,” about a dozen Lowndes County teachers protested outside a school board meeting Monday urging a delay to the resumption of in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lowndes County Board of Education, meeting at its headquarters on Norman Drive, was scheduled to discuss restarting the county’s closed schools, among other topics.

In April, Gov. Brian Kemp ordered all of Georgia’s public schools closed as part of a response to the rapidly spreading pandemic. Originally a temporary measure, Kemp later expanded it by canceling all classes for the school year. More recently, Kemp has urged schools to reopen, and President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off federal aid to schools that don’t open.

Teachers want a safe school reopening, said Treva Gear, an instructional coach for Lowndes County Schools and a candidate for District 8 of the state Senate.

“We need a delay so teachers can prepare for whatever safety measures are put in place,” she said.

Teachers also need time to get ready in case online teaching — used earlier in the year when schools closed — is needed again, she said.

“We were thrown into virtual teaching the first time,” Gear said, “and while I think we did a great job, we need more preparation time to make it an enriching experience.”

Miranda Edmonds, an English teacher for the school system, said the instructors need a four- to five-week delay to prepare for online instruction.

Teachers have not been given any hint as to what the school board plans as far as reopening, Gear said.

“They held a couple of reopening meetings,” she said. “But whatever they’re doing in there tonight will be a surprise for all of us.”

Evans said the teachers just want their voices to be heard; she also said there’s been no planning about what teachers might do if the school board makes a decision the teachers don’t like.