Clayton County Public Schools is honoring a former teacher who died from COVID-19.
George McKibben, who taught at Jonesboro Junior High School, died April 7 "after a hard-fought battle with the coronavirus," the school district wrote on Facebook. They posted a photo of McKibben on Tuesday, April 14, which would have been his 77th birthday.
As of Tuesday, 501 people in Georgia had died from the coronavirus. There are more than 14,000 confirmed cases across the state.
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The Clayton school district said it recognized McKibben in 2018 for his impact on the community because, in 1967, he became one of the first black teachers to teach at a white Clayton County school.
“During his first year, McKibben began to open doors that substantially eased the acceptance of black students and teachers in what had been white-only schools in the county,” the district wrote.
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McKibben taught at Jonesboro Junior High for 11 years. He then helped open Mundy’s Mill Middle School, where he drew the Razorback mascot on a wall of a hallway.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the McKibben family. We wish you all strength during this most difficult time,” the district wrote.
