Nine People Test Positive at Georgia High School Where Photo of Crowded Hallways Went Viral
A mom waves goodbye to a school bus on Aug. 3 in Dallas, Ga. AP Photo
LOCAL AND STATE ROUNDUP | Newspaper identifies 14 Florida inmates who died of Covid who were parole eligible … Los Angeles considers revoking projects if developers tied to corruption … Illinois school district bans pjs for remote learning.
Six students have tested positive for the coronavirus who attend the Georgia high school that grabbed national attention when photos spread of unmasked students crowded into hallways. Three staff members who were also present in the school last week have also reported testing positive for Covid-19.
All of these people “were in school for at least some time last week,” according to a letter sent to parents by North Paulding High School Principal Gabe Carmona. “Our custodial staff continues to thoroughly clean and disinfect the school building daily, and especially affected areas,” he wrote. “It is my intention to regularly notify the NPHS community of these cases in the interest of transparency and so that we, as a community, can be aware of any trends that arise and respond accordingly.” The school had suspended two students who took the photos that took off on social media, but reversed those actions on Friday. The state superintendent of education, Richard Woods, said he had “concerns about students disciplined for sharing photos taken at school.” The high school on Sunday announced it would move to online education for Monday and Tuesday, saying families will be notified about the plans for the rest of the week on Tuesday evening. [Atlanta Journal Constitution; WSB-TV; CNN]
PAROLE ELIGIBLE | The Orlando Sentinel identified 14 cases of a Florida state prisoner eligible for parole who died of the coronavirus, including a 68-year-old man the Commission on Offender Review previously suggested would likely be released in December. [Orlando Sentinel]
CANCELED PROJECTS | Los Angeles is considering revoking permits for projects if the developers are tied to corruption. The move by city attorney Mike Feuer comes after the arrest of a city council member accused of racketeering and taking bribes from developers. That member, Jose Huizar, has pleaded not guilty. [Los Angeles Times]
GEORGIA VOTING | In response to long lines during the Georgia primary, the Democratic Party and a group of voters filed a federal lawsuit asking that a judge require the state to expand polling locations, provide better training for poll workers and put more emergency ballots in place. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
PJ BAN | An Illinois school district is making one thing clear to students learning from home this fall: change out of your pjs. The Springfield Public Schools Board of Education is also telling students that they can’t attend virtual class from bed, should sit at a table and must look into the computer camera. But some parents are questioning the mandates, noting that remote learning is already difficult for many. "To put more barriers in place, 'You have to sit at a table, you have to dress a certain way,' does not make sense," one father said. [NBC]
Laura Maggi is the managing editor at Route Fifty.
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