Health & Fitness

Etowah High School Closing Immediately From Coronavirus Outbreak

Etowah High School will be closed after school Tuesday through the end of the month after nearly 300 students and staff had to quarantine.

Cherokee Schools announced it is temporarily halting in-person learning at Etowah High School effective at the end of classes Tuesday.
Cherokee Schools announced it is temporarily halting in-person learning at Etowah High School effective at the end of classes Tuesday. (Google Street View)

WOODSTOCK, GA — Due to a coronavirus outbreak at Etowah High School, Cherokee Schools officials said the school will switch to online learning effective at the end of the day Tuesday through the end of the month.

Superintendent Brian Hightower said in a news release the district hopes to reopen the school for in-person classes Aug. 31.

"This decision was not made lightly," Hightower said Tuesday. "It was made with the support of school board members, and was determined, as all of our quarantine decisions are made, in consideration with the Department of Public Health. We recognize this decision still may create hardships for Etowah High School families and is disappointing for students who want to be at school for in-person learning. As of this morning, the number of positive cases at the school had increased to a total of 14, with tests for another 15 students pending; and, as a result of the confirmed cases, 294 students and staff are under quarantine and, should the pending tests prove positive, that total would increase dramatically."

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All Etowah High School in-person students will stay home from school until the scheduled reopening Aug. 31.

"We ask for students and their parents to be patient, as they were in the spring, while our teachers spend Wednesday shifting to remote learning," Hightower said. "We will deep clean the building on Wednesday, and remote learning, through the Canvas learning management system, will begin on Thursday, Aug. 13. Teachers will report to school on Thursday to begin providing instruction to their students through Canvas. The closure has no effect on Etowah High School students already enrolled in digital learning. Students who need to pick up medication or other items that they must have during the next two weeks should call the school’s front office to make an appointment. Extra-curricular athletic activities will continue after school; this exception is due to the very limited size of these groups and additional safety measures in place (such as temporal scans), but continuation of athletics will be closely monitored for possible closure."

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When the district announced plans to reopen schools with options of in-person learning and digital learning at home, Hightower said it made clear the challenges that came along with this choice for families.

"With a commitment from 77 percent of our students’ families to return to school in-person, we opened our doors on Aug. 3 and welcomed more than 30,000 students back for learning, reconnecting with teachers and staff and friends, and a sense of normalcy absent for five long months," he said.

Since Cherokee Schools reopened, and as of Tuesday morning, there have been 59 positive coronavirus tests confirmed among district students and staff, which have led it to mandate two-week quarantines for 925 students and staff.

"We are not hesitating to quarantine students and staff who have had possible exposure — even if the positive test was prompted by possible exposure rather than symptoms, as all positive cases can lead to the infection of others," Hightower said. "Our transparency to our community is far beyond any requirements by the Department of Public Health, but we believe our community benefits from our longstanding commitment to transparency. We don’t need social media to tell us to be transparent — it’s who we are because we care about our community."

For the rest of the school district, Hightower said he asks all students, staff and families to continue to social distance and use masks when social distancing is not possible.

"It is our sincere belief and hope that following this guidance will help us keep our schools open for in-person learning," he said. "While cases are predominately affecting our high schools, and we anticipate the need for quarantines will continue to rise in them with the possibility of more high school closures, we also may see more of our middle schools and elementary schools require quarantines in the coming days and weeks.

"As your superintendent, I wear a mask whenever I cannot social distance. We know all parents do not believe the scientific research that indicates masks are beneficial, but I believe it and see masks as an important measure to help us keep schools open."

Related: Cherokee Schools Reports Cases At 6 Schools During First Week


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