USA TODAY International Edition
250 staff, students in Georgia district to quarantine
Online instruction ready for those affected
After only one week of school, more than 250 students and teachers from one Georgia school district will be asked to quarantine for two weeks after several teachers and students tested positive for COVID- 19, according to the district’s website.
Cherokee County School District is sharing regular updates on coronavirus cases in its schools on its website.
As of Friday, at least 11 students, ranging from first to 12th grade, and two staff members from various schools, have tested positive for the virus, prompting the school to send almost 250 students and staff home for 14 days because of possible exposure. The students will receive online instruction during the period.
The district has 40 schools and centers, 4,800 employees and more than 42,200 students.
In a letter to families on Friday, Superintendent Brian Hightower said the trend of students and staff testing positive every day “will continue as we operate schools during a pandemic.”
“We know we’re under a microscope, as national media follows the reopening of schools across the country,” he wrote. “But know that our decisions are not based on what people in New York or Kansas think, nor are we concerned about ‘ optics’ or ‘ image’ – we’re focused on what’s doing best for our community.”
He also stressed the need for taking extra measures to prevent the spread.
“As we said before reopening, social distancing is not possible in all situations at our schools – this is why we require our staff to wear masks or face shields when they cannot distance, and this is why we’re providing masks to students and strongly recommending they wear them,” Hightower said.