North Paulding High School will temporarily move to online learning after nine students and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
What We Know:
- North Paulding High School opened its doors for the 2020-2021 school year on August 3rd and they’ve already closing them again, just a week later. Six students and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the school to temporarily switch to online learning and cancel all extracurricular activities for the time being. The school sent a letter to parents and guardians on Sunday, saying that the building will be closed for Monday and Tuesday. A decision will be made on Tuesday regarding in-person learning.
- Located in Dallas, Georgia, North Paulding High School made headlines last week after photos went viral showing students tightly packed in hallways, many of them without face coverings.
- Two students were suspended for taking the photos and posting them to social media. One of the suspended students, Hanna Watters, spoke to news outlets about her story, saying she was concerned about everyone’s safety and that her suspension was “some good and necessary trouble”. Watters was originally suspended for using her phone in the hallway, using social media at school, and posting photos of minors without consent. The school reversed her suspension.
- According to students, the school is not requiring face coverings or social distancing. Superintendent Brian Otott said, “Wearing a mask is a personal choice and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them.” Before the school year began, several football players at North Paulding also tested positive for coronavirus.
Other Georgia school districts are encountering similar problems. In Gwinnett County, around 260 staff members either tested positive for coronavirus or were exposed to it. In Cherokee County, over 250 students are in quarantine due to exposure to the virus.
