MONROE, Ga. — Area school systems are a crazy quilt of policies related to the pandemic.

The Walton County and Social Circle districts have given parents a choice between in-person and digital learning. In both, students are opting for the in-person experience by about a 3-to-1 margin.

But the Newton County School System went for an all-digital start to the academic year and has suspended fall sports.

Gwinnett County, the state’s largest district, began with online learning but will transition to giving children the option to go back to the traditional classroom starting Wednesday.

And in the private schools, George Walton Academy brought all students back to campus this week for the new school year.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler said recently she wants to see more districts finding a way to get children back in their schools.

“I think we need to find ways to reopen,” she told The Walton Tribune after a meeting of the Walton County Republican Party last week.

“Kids, particularly young kids, don’t learn well sitting at a computer. In fact, some kids don’t have access to a computer. Many kids need the nutrition that schools provide, and special needs kids need the education they can get through their specialized teachers.

“And then parents who want to get back to work and don’t have the luxury of working from home, who may have jobs in a factory or driving a truck, they need to be able to know their kids are safely in school, growing and developing, because we’ve also got an issue with now mental health concerns for children.

“We need to make sure they have every shot at their education.”