A Cobb County middle school teacher died while on vacation in Florida.

Mary Barkley died Monday after she was caught in a rip current while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a letter sent to parents.

Barkley was a seventh-grade lead and life sciences teacher at Dodgen Middle School, where she taught for 16 years.

She also saved two lives as an organ donor, according to the letter.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

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Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com