After an image of a packed high school hallway went viral on social media, the student responsible for posting it has reportedly been suspended for doing so.
The photo was taken by 15-year-old Hannah Watters at North Paulding High School—located just outside of Atlanta—who has since been suspended for five days for essentially outing the dire straits the school is already in after its reopening on Monday.
"The policies I broke stated that I used my phone in the hallway without permission, used my phone for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent," she told BuzzFeed.
According to BuzzFeed, students were reportedly threatened with expulsion (?) if they chose to stay home. Virtual enrollment for the school filled fast, therefore most students had no other choice but to attend classes in person. New audio said to have been leaked from an announcement over the high school's intercom declares that any student who posts something that shows the school in a negative light can be subject to disciplinary action.
A lot of totalitarian vibes going on, for sure.
A second student was also suspended for posting pictures from the school, but it is unclear which photos they took. BuzzFeed also noted that several players on the high school's football team have already tested positive for COVID-19.
“Days before school even started, they knew that many of the football players were sick,” someone with close ties to the high school said. “They knew from before day one that it wasn't going to work.”
Similar to students, teachers also feel like they're forced to go in to teach classes despite the obvious health risks that the school currently poses.
“A lot of us are terrified, and they won't let us know if we have been exposed until a state contact tracer has contacted us,” a teacher said.
The school reportedly won't cite any positive cases for privacy reasons, but teachers confirmed that several members of staff exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 and have come in contact with many of them.
