A student was initially arrested for sharing the photo.
Nine people have tested positive for COVID-19 at a high school in Georgia, where a photo of a pack went viral earlier this week.
Six students and three staff members who were at the school last week tested positive, according to a letter sent to parents on Saturday that was purchased by ABC News. The positive cases were reported to the school after private tests.
“We expected COVID-19 to affect us because it has almost every community, and the neighborhood has partnered with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to proactively implement safety measures and response plans,” the letter read. It does not say if everyone will be quarantined or if the school will close in whole or in part, but says that supervisors will continue daily disinfection procedures.
The photo showed students completed on wall at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia. Some students wore masks, but many did not, and social distance was not possible.
The image caused fear of parents and observers outside, but also punishment for the student who shot the photos and shared them.
Hannah Watters, 15, a 10th grader at the school, was stopped over sharing the photos with media. The school even warned over the loudspeaker that others who did the same could be punished.
On Friday, however, her suspension was revoked, as was the punishment of another student. She told ABC News on Friday, before the letter about the positive tests, she plans to return Monday.
Last week was the first that students were back in school.
“Go in [to school] I was nervous, but confident that Paulding would keep us safe, “Hannah told ABC News earlier this week. But it was worse than I thought it would be. I did not feel safe, especially coming home after family. “
The school wrote in a letter after the release of the photos, “Under the COVID-19 protocols we have adopted, class changes that look like this will happen, especially in a high school with more than 2,000 students. ”
President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have both urged schools to reopen to personal learning.
“Our strategy is to aggressively protect those at greatest risk, while allowing younger and healthier citizens to recover safely from work and schooling,” Trump said Saturday at a news conference announcing multiple executive actions targeted at COVID. 19 relief.
Stephanie Wash, Lena Camilletti and Darren Reynolds of ABC News contributed to this report.
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