“It was a terrible idea” to reopen, he said. “The teachers would not have to go out and take a risk.”
When the first week was near, Ms. Wicker, with the group of educators, took to Facebook to update her followers on the number of illnesses and students were quarantined: 260 after five days of classes.
‘I hope with everything within my being that no one who is currently ill will die,’ she wrote, adding, ‘this does not have to happen. This was completely preventable. ”
The school superintendent, Brian V. Hightower, who did not respond to requests for comment for this article, also posted an update. He said the ward was transparent about the situation, and defended the group photos of unmasked high school students on the first day of school, saying the ward had learned, “on investigation,” that many of those students regularly wore masks.
“Today is the fifth day of school,” wrote Dr. Hightower, “and this year is a great milestone.”
By Tuesday, the number of students and staff members in careers in the neighborhood had more than doubled, to 925, with 59 positive cases. Etowah High School, where nearly 300 people were assigned to isolate after at least 14 positive cases, switched over to online classes for the rest of the month. And Dr. Hightower advocates for more routine mask use.
“We know that all parents do not believe the scientific research that indicates masks are beneficial,” he said, “but I believe it, and see masks as an important measure to help us keep schools open.”
