Case Study: Gwinnett County Public Schools achieves continuity of instruction during inclement weather with D2L Brightspace

Going Online to Provide Education in All Circumstances

Gwinnett County Public Schools, a large district serving roughly 182,000+ students and 10,000 staff, faced a scheduling crisis when Hurricane Irma early in the 2017–18 year exhausted its three built‑in inclement weather days. With no buffer left for winter closures, the district needed a way to preserve instructional time without adding extra minutes to each school day or extending the school year—a change that could disrupt graduation plans and family schedules.

The district put years of planning into practice by running Digital Learning Days on the Brightspace LMS, supported on‑site by D2L’s TAM and support teams. Over three Digital Learning Days, about 90% of students logged in, continuity of instruction was maintained, teachers gained online teaching capacity and made accessibility adjustments for at‑home constraints, and the district avoided adding extra school time—while positioning itself to expand online offerings in the future.

Gwinnett County Public Schools

Matt Waymack

Director of eCLASS Development