A North Georgia school system has decided to close the doors of an elementary school that has recently experienced an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
Harmony Elementary in Pickens County will close its doors through Oct. 26 after two positive cases were reported at the school, according to a letter sent to parents. The letter also states that 18.5% of the staff had already been placed in isolation or quarantine due to contact with those two individuals.
The Harmony students will be sent home with devices to assist them with online learning. The itsLearning program had been demonstrated to students since classes started in August. The school district employs about 300 staff and faculty and more than 4,000 students attend the four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
“Recognizing the challenges that a school closure poses for many families in our community, we are making this decision with a heavy heart but for the greater good,” reads the letter signed by Pickens County Schools Superintendent Rick Townsend. “Our priority is always the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
In August, a coronavirus outbreak in neighboring Cherokee County caused some schools to close temporarily and hundreds of students and staff to quarantine. A rising number of infections forced the quarantine for the Cherokee County school system. The district announced, at that time, that Woodstock High School and Etowah High School would have to close.
Last week, a Paulding County teacher alleged in a lawsuit that lax state and local standards have exposed staff, students, families and the Paulding community to risk of infection by the sometimes-deadly virus.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the State Defendants have steadfastly refused to issue meaningful, binding requirements for school districts concerning how they are expected to operate during the pandemic,” says the complaint filed in Fulton County Superior Court. This is in “sharp contrast” to standards for restaurants, retailers or summer camps, the lawsuit notes.
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