School Captured in Viral Photo Goes Online

Soon after the Georgia high school whose crowded hallway was captured in a viral photo announced nine students and staffers had tested positive for COVID-19, a second announcement: North Paulding High is going online. Digital learning will be in place for at least two days, the superintendent announced Sunday, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fox 5 Atlanta. "On Monday and Tuesday, the school will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and the district will consult with the Department of Public Health to assess the environment and determine if there (are) any additional close contacts for confirmed cases who have not already been identified," he said in a letter to parents. He added that they will be notified by Tuesday whether the school will reopen Wednesday.

Six students were among those who tested positive for the coronavirus after the school reopened for in-person classes last week; the aunt of two of those students tells the AJC one of her nephews came home from school Monday having lost his sense of smell, and soon tested positive. His brother also came down with virus symptoms and tested positive. "They sat in class all day long with no masks and not social distancing,” their aunt says. “And I have no idea how many kids they came into contact with." The superintendent says the number of positive cases could rise once pending test results come in, 11 Alive reports. Meanwhile, the student who shared the photo tells CNN she has been receiving threats from other students. (The school changed its mind about suspending her, though.)