In statements posted on its website, the Cherokee County School District reported positive cases in at least 11 students and two staff members. Students and staff who had possible exposure with a positive case were quarantined two weeks ago. The students were from the elementary, middle and high schools of the province.
Students in quarantine will receive online instruction while staying at home, the district said.
The ward returned to personal learning on Monday, August 3rd. The district superintendent, Dr. Brian V. Hightower, sent a letter to the school community Friday about the problem.
“We have students and staff who report presumptive, pending and positive COVID-19 tests every day, and this will continue as we operate schools during a pandemic,” he said. “We are working with the Department of Public Health to confirm rail, make contact with rail, quarantine and then list the school community.”
“We know we are under a microscope because national media are following the re-emergence of schools across the country,” Hightower wrote. “But knowing that our decisions are not based on what people in New York or Kansas think, nor are we concerned about ‘optics’ or ‘image’ – we are focused on what works best for our community.”
Cherokee County is located about 20 miles north of Atlanta and has 258,000 people at home.
Hightower thanks the school community for their support in helping to reopen schools in person while launching a new Digital Learning program to kick off the school year on time.
A Sixes Elementary student, he started in-person classes Monday. But on Tuesday, a classroom was temporarily closed for deep cleaning and the teacher and 20 other students were asked for quarantine for two weeks after the second grader tested positive.
In his note, Hightower reminded students of the importance of wearing masks
“We learned a lot of wearing masks on a regular basis, but we need to continue to remind all students of the importance of masks if you can not social distance,” he said.
He wrote that the answer to keeping schools open rested with the whole school community and said parents should continue to keep their children at home when they are sick.
“We need social distance when we can, and always wear masks when we can’t,” he wrote.
As schools reopen for the new academic year around the country, parents and administrators are making difficult decisions about how to ensure students receive the education they need while also staying safe in an ongoing pandemic.
While many have responded to the recurrence of cases involving full-distance schooling, others have chosen to return to classrooms, including the top expert on infectious disease, Drs. Anthony Fauci, said works like safety measures are the priority.
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