Students and staff infected with Covid-19 at Georgia school that suspended students for posting photos

The Georgia high school that suspended two students for posting a video of the school's crowded halls has shut down due to coronavirus infections. Nine people at North Paulding High School (6 students, 3 staff members) have tested positive, and attended school “for at least some time” last week, according to Principal Gabe Carmona.

Now the school is closed, at least today and tomorrow, for a scrub down. And then, incredibly, they might decide to open again on Wednesday.

From The Washington Post:

The district will announce Tuesday evening whether in-person instruction will resume the next day, [Superintendent Brian] Otott wrote to parents Sunday in a second letter, shared by a WSB-TV reporter.

Otott added that anyone who has tested positive, as well as close contacts of people who have the virus, must quarantine for 14 days before returning to school.

“I apologize for any inconvenience this schedule change may cause, but hopefully we all can agree that the health and safety of our students and staff takes precedence over any other considerations at this time,” Otott wrote.

The infections validate concerns in Georgia and nationwide that crowded conditions in the nation’s K-12 schools could facilitate virus transmission as the new academic year begins. Young people develop severe infections at far lower rates than adults, but experts warn that they could be vectors for infecting more vulnerable populations, such as older relatives in the same household.

It took a national outcry for the school to reverse the two students' suspensions last Friday. I wonder how many coronavirus cases it'll take for the school district to reverse its stance on in-person instruction.

This is what it looks like even with split dismissal. pic.twitter.com/erCA2lhOUb

— hannah (@ihateiceman) August 4, 2020