Third COVID-19 case reported in Columbia County schools

Columbia County’s school superintendent said Wednesday that the school district remains committed to minimizing the spread of COVID-19, as news emerged of students testing positive for the virus just days after the school year began.

Harlem and Lakeside high schools sent letters to several parents Tuesday informing them of “a student or staff member who may have been in contact with your child/children tested positive for COVID-19.” and that their children might have been “in proximity” to the positive person.

Since then, superintendent Sandra Carraway said, a third student — also from Harlem High — has been identified as testing positive.

Rumors have swirled on social media of more students being infected — including contradicting reports from parents that a Grovetown High School student is infected, and that every high school except for Grovetown had COVID-positive students.

Carraway said six more registered students have tested positive before the school year began and did not attend classes.

News of infected students took parents by surprise. Jessica Barrs' son started his first year of high school at Harlem on Monday. She said she let him choose whether to return to in-person classes, but the decision was made "back in June before we started hearing of children with the virus.“

Barrs said "the school system forced us to make our decision by July 1," which was the original deadline set by the school district for parents to commit to either in-person or all-online learning.

She said she thinks she and other parents should get "immediate notification" from their children's schools by email, text or phone call when a positive case is confirmed.

"I sent a message to the school district this morning inquiring how to switch to learn-from-home," Barrs said Wednesday afternoon. "I have not gotten a response. I also did not get any communication from the school about the positive case. I know some parents received letters but I received nothing."

Carraway said the school district’s policy is to notify only parents and guardians of children who might have been exposed.

She “put it in the category of walking through a grocery store.” Like grocery shoppers, every student staying in safe proximity of someone who is possibly infected should not trigger a warning for an entire school.

Carraway said she didn’t believe putting school COVID totals “on a billboard every day would be beneficial to our community. I don’t know if that would be a positive move or not when (students) are living in an environment where their sense of normalcy has been disrupted.”

Relying on parents to ask responsibly is key, she said. “If we all do all the things we’re supposed to do, there’s no reason to alarm the world, ‘ring the bell,’ if you will,” she said

School parents and guardians received an email Wednesday with a weblink to the school district's "Collective Responsibility Agreement," which outlines watchful behavior that is expected of parents, students and staff to minimize COVID's spread.

"Please take a moment to read this agreement with your children and join our pledge to abide by the expectations set forth in the document," the email said. "We are working hard to keep our schools a safe place to learn and grow, and we need your help!"

According to the email, the school district wants parents to keep sick children at home, and if they are awaiting COVID-19 test results for any reason. Parents also are urged to inform a child's school if someone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, and reporting positive test results to the school immediately.

"By doing these things, along with following the safety precautions in place, together we can have school safely," the email said. "Together we are stronger."

Carraway said that the letters state: “Though your child may have been in proximity to the individual, your child was not identified to have been in close or direct contact" with a person testing positive.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “close contact” as applying to “any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before illness onset."

The letters also state that the COVID-positive people are in "quarantine" under guidelines set by the CDC, and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

The CDC recommends these precautions:

* Stay home for 14 days after the last contact with a person who has COVID-19.

* Watch for a fever of at least 100.4 F, cough, shortness of breath or other COVID symptoms.

* If possible, stay away from others, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick.