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Why Hall County Schools is adding, taking away high school courses
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The Hall County Board of Education meets Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.

Each year Hall County Schools matches its class offerings to students’ interests and the needs of the community. 

During the Hall Board of Education’s combined work session and meeting on Monday, Dec. 9, the board unanimously agreed to add 13 high school courses to the district and delete 15 for the 2020-21 school year. 

While some of the changes were required by the Georgia Department of Education, others were driven by students and the community. 

Terry Sapp, Hall’s high school improvement specialist, was in charge of putting the list together. Sapp said she based the decisions on how often students wanted to take certain classes and the changing career pathways adopted by the system. 

For example, Sapp said no one has registered for International Baccalaureate Physics in the past couple of years; therefore, it needed to be deleted. 

Chestatee High School and East Hall High School are both starting automotive technology programs next school year and will have three levels of courses to support it. West Hall High School is launching its manufacturing program and will add robotics, foundations of manufacturing and production enterprise classes to its course list next school year. 

“It’s preparation for students to fill the positions that our local businesses have,” Sapp said. “We try to be very attuned to those needs and adjust as the needs change.”


Class additions:

  • IB Mathematics, Analysis and Approaches, Year 2: Added by Georgia DOE

  • IB Mathematics, Analysis and Interpretation, Year 2: Added by Georgia DOE

  • IB Film, Year 1: West Hall High School

  • Theatre Arts Literature I: Cherokee Bluff High School

  • Portuguese 5: Johnson High School

  • AP government/politics: Cherokee Bluff High School

  • Foundation of manufacturing and materials science: West Hall High School

  • Robotics and automated systems: West Hall High School

  • Production enterprises: West Hall High School

  • Automotive Technologies 1, 2 and 3: Chestatee High School and East Hall High School


Class deletions:

  • IB Mathematical Studies, Year 2: Deleted by Georgia DOE

  • IB Mathematics, Year 2: Deleted by Georgia DOE

  • IB Physics, Year 1 and 2: No longer needed

  • IB Environmental Systems, Year 1: No longer needed

  • Native language (not English): No longer needed

  • Native Language Reading and Literacy 1 and 2: No longer needed

  • IB Language A1

  • Principles of athletic training/sports medicine: No longer needed

  • Nursery and landscape: Pathway course no longer offered

  • Floriculture production and management: Pathway course no longer offered

  • Non-invasive diagnostic technology: Pathway course no longer offered

  • Basic Maintenance and Light Repair 1 and 2: Pathway updated to automotive technology 

  • Digital high/habitat high work-based learning placement: Georgia DOE updated work based learning numbers