Lambert High School is going digital-only for two weeks after an increase in students testing positive for COVID-19, Principal Gary Davison said in a Tuesday letter to parents.
All students at the Suwanee high school except for special education students in self-contained classrooms will learn remotely over a two-week quarantine period, intended to decrease the potential of community spread inside the school, the letter said.
Forsyth County Schools reported 2 COVID-19 cases at Lambert High School on Oct. 27 and 14 cases on Oct. 26. The district lists all cases by school on its website. The previous week, there were two new cases reported at Lambert each day from Oct. 21 to 23, and three on Oct. 20.
The school’s first day of the two-week quarantine period was Wednesday, Oct. 28, which Davison described as a “catch-up day” with no new lessons. Full classes will resume digitally on Oct. 29. Students are expected to return Nov. 11, but that date could be changed if more positive student cases are reported, Davison said in the letter.
Forsyth County students were able to choose between digital and in-person instruction this semester, so Lambert High School students who were already learning virtually will not experience a change. Students who may not have home internet or a personal computer are able to borrow WiFi hot spots and laptops from the school.
Teachers will conduct digital classes from their classrooms and school staff will report to the building as normal. Extracurricular activities, including sports, will also continue, and students are asked to regularly check their temperature, wear masks and take other safety measures if they are participating. If any activity or team is tied to an “outbreak,” their meetings may temporarily cease.
When students at Lambert and other Forsyth County public schools test positive, they are advised to quarantine. District spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said some students are not following that guidance.
“Our schools are being impacted by what our students are doing outside of school, particularly gatherings with no masks and no social distancing,” Caracciolo said in an email. “We are trying to keep our schools healthy by quarantining students, but we have been informed that while these quarantined students are not at school, they are not staying at home — meeting for lunch, getting their license, gathering for parties, etc.”
Forsyth County ranks 16th among Georgia counties for the highest total recorded COVID-19 cases since March and 53 Forsyth residents have died. Its case rate has been slightly increasing since hitting a post-summer low on Oct. 1.
