(Cherokee County) Georgia high school closes 8 days after reopening, confirms 14 coronavirus cases
... "This decision was not made lightly," Superintendent Brian Hightower said in a statement about the temporary halt to in-person instruction at Etowah High School. He said the high school had 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15 tests pending as of Tuesday morning.
"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," the superintendent said.
In total, the district has 59 confirmed cases of the virus, Hightower said.
It also has 1,156 students and 37 staff in quarantine, according to a district list.
Hightower warned that because the coronavirus cases are predominantly at the district's high schools more of those schools could be closed.
The Cherokee County district — which has an enrollment of 42,000, of whom over 30,000 are receiving in-person instruction — recommends but does not require students to wear masks....
Prior to the reopening of schools on Aug. 3, some teachers and parents protested the district's plan.
In July, dozens of demonstrators, including teachers, protested outside a school board meeting, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
And some teachers resigned before the school year started due to safety concerns, according to the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News....