Mask mandates spread in Georgia schools as child cases soar

3 years ago 253

ATLANTA – More than fractional of each Georgia nationalist schoolhouse students are present required to deterioration masks successful class, according to territory announcements tracked by The Associated Press, arsenic galore schoolhouse systems that had sought to fto students and parents determine connected the divisive contented of look coverings clamp down successful the look of roaring COVID-19 corruption rates.

At slightest 55 of Georgia’s 180 accepted schoolhouse districts are present requiring masks successful astatine slightest immoderate schools, up from lone a fistful of districts earlier people started successful August. The rules screen astatine slightest 945,000, oregon astir 55%, of Georgia’s 1.7 cardinal nationalist schoolhouse students.

The displacement began successful precocious July, erstwhile Atlanta and Gwinnett County schools joined DeKalb and Clayton counties successful saying they would necessitate masks. But galore different districts tried to unfastened their doors arsenic mask-optional. Some switched positions wrong days, portion others held retired for weeks.

During that time, infections leaped. More than 1% of school-age children successful Georgia person tested affirmative for COVID-19 successful the past 2 weeks. Children betwixt the ages of 5 and 17 are present much apt than adults arsenic a full to trial affirmative for COVID-19. The authorities Department of Public Health reported much than 30 corruption clusters successful schools statewide, the highest since the epidemic began.

Many districts person been overrun by infections and quarantines, with truthful galore teachers retired that they can’t unit classrooms. Statewide, 25 districts and charter schools are sending each their students location and going all-virtual temporarily. The coastal Glynn County district, with much than 12,000 students, became the largest to instrumentality that measurement Tuesday. Two districts and a charter schoolhouse person already returned from timeouts from in-school learning, portion astatine slightest six districts are closing idiosyncratic schools. At slightest 7 districts person switched to A/B schedules wherever students be people each different day. Overall, much than 100,000 students statewide person been affected by closures oregon docket changes.

The 28,000-student Columbia County territory successful suburban Augusta became the latest to necessitate masks connected Tuesday aft hundreds of students and employees had tested affirmative implicit 3 weeks of schoolhouse and much than 1,000 students were sent into quarantine.

School leaders accidental they’re requiring masks successful portion to chopped quarantines. Under guidance the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated implicit the summer, if everyone successful a schoolroom is masked and 3 feet (1 meter) oregon much apart, students don’t person to quarantine arsenic agelong arsenic they don’t amusement symptoms. Georgia schoolhouse districts are escaped to acceptable their ain rules, but the CDC rules stay influential.

“If we are going to beryllium capable to implicit schoolhouse from present until May 25, this appears to beryllium our champion chance,” The Augusta Chronicle quoted Columbia County committee subordinate Judy Teasley arsenic saying connected Tuesday.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has said helium opposes disguise mandates but wants to fto section schoolhouse districts decide. State Superintendent Richard Woods, who was hospitalized with a breakthrough lawsuit of COVID-19 past month, wrote successful an sentiment portion distributed Tuesday that radical should prioritize in-person learning.

“Though issues similar disguise mandates tin disagreement us, determination is much that unites us,” Woods wrote. “One unifying content shared crossed spectrums is the captious request for in-person learning.”

Mask-wearing continues to gully opposition. Dalton and Whitfield County schools are letting parents nonstop a enactment to schoolhouse opting their children retired of disguise requirements. Parents some seeking and opposing mandatory look coverings proceed to protestation successful Cobb County, the state’s second-largest district. Cobb is portion of a ringing of conservative-controlled suburban holdouts from the determination toward masks, on with Cherokee, Paulding and Forsyth counties.

But the rising tide of unwellness is pressuring adjacent those districts. Forsyth County Superintendent Jeff Bearden told parents successful a written connection that the territory was launching a run to beforehand voluntary masking among students and staff. He noted that astir 800 students and 100 unit had progressive cases of COVID-19.

“Our biggest interest is having sick children attending schoolhouse and perchance spreading the virus,” Bearden wrote.

___

Follow Jeff Amy connected Twitter astatine http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

Read Entire Article