After Viral Photo Of Crowded Hallways, Georgia School Shifts To Online Classes

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DALLAS, Ga. — A Georgia high school plans to start the week with all classes shifting online after nine students and staff tested positive for the coronavirus when the school year opened last week with most students attending in-person.

North Paulding High School made headlines soon after students returned to school Aug. 3 when photos posted on social media showed hallways crowded with students, and many of them not wearing masks. The school’s principal notified parents Saturday that six students and three staff members had tested positive for the virus, though it’s unknown if any were infected at school.

Now students will take online classes Monday and Tuesday, Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Ott said in a letter to parents Sunday. He said those two days will be used to clean and disinfect the school, and parents will learn Tuesday evening if in-person classes can resume later in the week.

“Hopefully we can all agree that the health and safety of our students and staff takes precedence over any other considerations at this time,” Ott said in his letter, which was obtained by Atlanta-area news outlets.

Paulding County schools spokesman Jay Dillon did not immediately return phone and text messages Sunday evening from The Associated Press.

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Notable Replies

  1. ‘‘Now students will take online classes Monday and Tuesday, Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Ott said in a letter to parents Sunday. He said those two days will be used to clean and disinfect the school, and parents will learn Tuesday evening if in-person classes can resume later in the week.’’

    More like ‘‘institutionalized transmission.’’

  2. Avatar for dave48 dave48 says:

    They all will soon. By the end of September (or sooner) all schools in the U.S. will be remote. Opening schools for regular classes was never going to work and, unfortunately, a lot of people will end up dying in order to prove this.

  3. “Paulding County schools spokesman Jay Dillon did not immediately return phone and text messages Sunday evening from The Associated Press.”

    Yeah, no shit!

    I guess they had to close the schools for 2 days so they could think up another lame excuse to keep them open with kids packed like sardines. And it’s hard to return phone calls and text messages when the only response they could possibly have after this deadly debacle is

    Homina

  4. Avatar for nycabj nycabj says:

    Perhaps they might consider contact tracing and testing. You know. Something actually useful.

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