Fifty-three students in the Carroll County School District, or approximately 6% of its student population, have been quarantined due to an exposure to the coronavirus.
The two-school district is reporting that of its 835 students, 43 at J.Z. George High School and another 10 at Marshall Elementary are being isolated.
At the beginning of the year, students and their parents were given the option of doing in-person classes or distance learning.
According to Superintendent Jim Ray, all 53 students quarantined were following the traditional, in-person schedule.
On Tuesday, the district announced it would close campuses for two weeks because of an unspecified outbreak of the virus.
According to Ray, earlier this week some county staff had tested positive for the virus. Ray said he could not provide what kind of employees were infected but said that because of these cases, closing the schools for two weeks “is the right thing to do at this time.”
The decision came one day after Gov. Tate Reeves imposed a facial mask mandate on the county, one of 16 he has targeted as a result of the recently rising number of COVID-19 cases.
“If (the virus is) outside the school, then it is only a matter of time before cases start filtering into the school,” Ray said.
The district’s employees have been told to continue to report to work as normal each day, but no children or students will be allowed on the campuses.
The shutdown, however, is not expected to sideline the J.Z. George High School football team.
The Jaguars are scheduled to play their final regular-season game Friday at Calhoun City. On Nov. 6, they begin the 2A playoffs.
In the Greenwood area, the weekly report from the Mississippi State Department of Health also showed that the Leflore Legacy Academy, which is under an all-distance-learning track, is showing between one and five teachers and staff testing positive for the first time and 16 on quarantine.
As per Mississippi State Department of Health guidelines, when case numbers are between one and five, the exact case number is suppressed to protect personal identity.
Dr. Tamala Boyd Shaw, the executive director of the school, has said that although many of the staff work from the school, they can do so from home if necessary. “We are adjusting to the needs of our staff while also following proper CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines,” she said
During a speech to the Greenwood Rotary Club last week, Shaw said the school is planning to begin hybrid instruction — which would combine virtual and in-person learning — in January. Students and their families would have the choice of opting in for in-person instruction or continuing with distance learning.
After the new numbers were released, she said that safety will remain a top priority and that the school will continue to pay attention to the families.
“We are listening to our parents and surveying to see what they want and need before we head into 2021,” she said.
Pillow Academy has added three students and two staff members to the list of those who have tested positive. From the last report, the number of students in quarantine fell from 10 to four, and there were no teachers on quarantine from exposure.
Two weeks ago, Pillow Academy had to shut down its kindergarten classes due to an outbreak of COVID-19. These classes have since reopened.
Delta Streets Academy and Carroll Academy again did not report their numbers to the Health Department.
The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, issued an order in August mandating the weekly reporting of COVID-19 data by all elementary and secondary schools, public and private. Failure to comply, according to Department of Health officials, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail.
This is the fifth time both schools have not been listed.
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
The original version of this article had the incorrect date for when the Carroll County School District announced the temporary closure of its schools.
