A week after the football team contracted COVID, a Georgia high school resumes with packed hallways
A photo making rounds on the internet seems to reflect a potential storm of COVID-19 brewing at a Georgia high school, according to reports by BuzzFeed News.
After the photo, which shows a hallway packed with many mask-less students, went viral, students, teachers and parents alike at North Paulding High School fear the county’s rush to reopen has already spiralled out of control. Just two days after everyone returned to school, an increase of reported cases of the novel coronavirus has already started.
Concern already began a week before, when the high school’s football team began showing symptoms of the virus following a fundraiser workout inside a gym. Days later, health officials confirmed several players contracted the virus and the school informed parents of students hours before their return.
This is the first day of school in Paulding County, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/fzdidaAABM
— 🇯🇲Black🇭🇹Aziz🇳🇬aNANsi🇹🇹 (@Freeyourmindkid) August 4, 2020
Teachers are raising alarm bells, especially after one staff member had come into contact with most teachers while displaying strong symptoms of the virus. Teachers also told BuzzFeed News that the school will not confirm positive infections among employees and instead, they must wait to be contacted by contact tracers.
The Centers for Disease Control has recommended face masks be worn in all public settings, the district said masks are a personal choice and has accepted that social distancing “will not be possible to enforce” in “most cases.”
The school provided teachers with face shields and masks, but teachers are not required to wear them. One of the teachers even resigned last month over health concerns.
More pictures from inside of the school pic.twitter.com/A08L9WbXIw
— 🇯🇲Black🇭🇹Aziz🇳🇬aNANsi🇹🇹 (@Freeyourmindkid) August 5, 2020
“Days before school even started, they knew that many of the football players were sick,” a person familiar with the issues at the high school told the news outlet. “They knew from before day one that it wasn’t going to work.”
The school provided students with the option to continue learning online, at home. However, students said they had to attend in person because all virtual learning slots filled up due to a short sign-up timeframe.
One high school senior said he’s “paranoid” coming to school. Forced to attend in person, he wore a mask to class despite other students’ failure to do so. One teacher even pushed desks together to allow for group work.
