Cherokee Schools Reports Cases At 6 Schools During First Week

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — During the first week of school for Cherokee County students, seven students at six schools across the county reported positive cases of the coronavirus.

The district updates its case status report website every Friday, and cases have been reported at:

• Cherokee High School: 2 positive
• Creekland Middle School: 1 positive
• Dean Rusk Middle School: 1 positive
• Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy: 1 positive
• Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy: 1 positive
• Sixes Elementary School: 1 positive

Superintendent Brian Hightower said there are students and staff reporting presumptive, pending and positive COVID-19 tests daily, and this will continue as the district operates schools during a pandemic.

"We are working with the Department of Public Health to confirm, contact trace, quarantine and then notify the school community," Hightower said. "We’re taking extra steps for transparency, including not only updating weekly current case totals, but also posting school notification letters and details about each case, while still respecting privacy."

Hightower said he knows the district is under a microscope, as many are following the reopening of schools across the country.

"But know that our decisions are not based on what people in New York or Kansas think, nor are we concerned about 'optics' or 'image' – we’re focused on what’s doing best for our community," Hightower said.

"To that point, photos are snapshots of a moment in time, and while they don’t always tell the whole story, it’s important to investigate and address possible underlying issues. The senior group photos taken outside before school on several of our campuses raised concerns that those students might not be aware of the importance of masks. Upon investigation, we learned many wear masks routinely, but we must continue to remind all students of the importance of masks when you cannot social distance."

The district will continue to monitor the state of public health in the community and its schools, the number of quarantines, and the sustainability of staffing in determining the future of in-person schools, Hightower said.

"Should we have to close all schools, which we have no plans to do at this time, we will shift to online learning for all students not already enrolled in digital learning," he said. "If you did not enroll your children in digital learning and now want to do so, we unfortunately cannot accommodate the majority of these requests due to staffing constraints in CCSD and in Georgia Virtual School."

Schools can remain open, depending on how the community acts, Hightower said.

"We need to social distance whenever we can, and always wear masks when we cannot," he said. "As we said before reopening, social distancing is not possible in all situations at our schools – this is why we require our staff to wear masks or face shields when they cannot distance, and this is why we’re providing masks to students and strongly recommending they wear them. This is a critical component to keeping schools open.

"Parents need to continue to keep their children home when they’re sick. We’re so appreciative of the parents who are doing the right thing every day by monitoring their children for symptoms (here is a checklist to help you), seeking medical assistance and testing when children show symptoms, and notifying their school of the situation. We care about every child, every employee and all of their families – none of us want anyone to become sick, and we are greatly concerned for those who do become sick."