Decatur, GA — When Renfroe Middle School was short on teachers and substitutes this week, the superintendent stepped in to help.

City Schools of Decatur returned to in-person learning this week amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Renfroe will transition to virtual learning next week on Monday and Tuesday due to teacher absences.

Those absences prompted Superintendent Maggie Fehrman to return to the classroom. According to her biography, Fehrman began her career in education as a social studies teacher at Summerour Middle School in 2000 before transitioning to administrative roles as assistant principal then principal at Bay Creek Middle School from 2009-2018 in Gwinnett Public School System.

She taught eighth grade social studies at Renfroe Middle for a half day on Tuesday and 1st Period photography on Thursday, an experience she described as, “So much fun!” She said all staff at Central Office has been asked to fill in when teachers and substitutes are unavailable to teach classes.

“CSD anticipated a higher than the typical number of staff being out due to the high rates of COVID,” Fehrman said. “I asked all Wilson Center Staff to be on call to help cover classes as needed this week and next if substitutes were not available. I along with many other Wilson Center staff helped cover classes and other crucial positions in our schools this week. I think nearly all central office spent part of one or more of their days at a school. CSD puts what is best for our students first and foremost in our work, and at this time, that includes central office staff pitching in and helping to cover classes.”

So what did the kids think when the superintendent showed up and started teaching class?

“I don’t know what the kids thought,” Fehrman said. “I was focused on teaching the content!”

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