A Georgian high school sophomore who shared a viral photo of a packed schoolyard said Sunday that she has received threats since posting the image last week. Hannah Watters said in an interview on CNN that North Paulding High School “used us as guinea pigs.”
Watters said she was dealing with threats because she and another student shared photos that captured national attention showing students shoulder-to-shoulder in a hallway, many without masks.
“I know I’m doing the right thing and it will not stop her from doing this, but it’s concerning, especially since it’s a lot of the people I go to school with,” she said. “People I’ve known for years, who threaten me now.”
The school reopened for personal learning on August 3, but has had to quit already again for several days of cleaning after six students and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
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School officials initially accused Watters and another student of sharing the photos, but later that decision reversed.
When asked about the threats, Watters said they mostly come from high school seniors who think they are trying to limit their final year.
“Some things are like, ‘We’ll jump every girl named Hannah in tenth grade’ or ‘Hannah will have a rough day at school on Monday,’ ‘she told CNN. One even said, ‘I know where this girl lives’ because he lives in my neighborhood.’ “
“I just hope everyone sooner or later can understand that I’m not trying to shut it down,” she added. “And when I ‘exposed’ Paulding County, the senior year was not to be canceled. It’s not going behind one, it was just to keep us all safe.”
She also had a message for school administrators who continue to defend despite Georgia’s high rate coronavirus cases.
“We could have just opened up like a lot of other schools and a lot of other counties,” she said, adding that more security measures and plans could be taken. “They kind of sent us to school and used us as guinea pigs to see what would happen later.”
After a number of positive coronavirus tests among students and staff members who came to class last week, the school said it shifted to online learning at least for Monday and Tuesday, according to a letter sent to parents and caregivers of students on Sunday.
The controversy over high school in Georgia comes as the reopening of schools in the U.S. is met with heated debate. Lawmakers, parents, teachers and students are divided over the issue as the pandemic continues to spread through many communities.
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