On August 4th Hannah Watters a high school sophomore posted a photo of a crowded school hallway and mentioned that there was only a 10% mask rate. Watters captioned the photo, “day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate.”
Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate. pic.twitter.com/JKbGYqG9RS
— hannah (@ihateiceman) August 4, 2020
Hannah was suspended after being accused of breaking several codes of conduct. The school’s student handbook includes a section that prohibits students from taking visual or audio recordings without permission.
The superintendent, Brian Otott, sent an email in response to the viral photo that confirmed it was in fact North Paulding High School, saying “there is no question that the photo does not look good” he went on further to aim the email at people “using it to criticize without context.”
Otott went on further to explain this was a brief period of students switching classes and cited the state’s Department of Health, which advised that the real risk is being within six feet of a contagious person for 15 minutes or more.
Hannah continuously kept her Twitter followers updated with how the school was dealing with going back to school. Watters uploaded a tally of people from her classes keeping count of how many of them were wearing a mask. A document from the school district stated that wearing a mask is a “personal choice.”
https://twitter.com/ihateiceman/status/1291132959131611137
On August 7th, Hannah tweeted once again that her five-day suspension has been deleted due to the overwhelming response of strangers supporting her.
https://twitter.com/ihateiceman/status/1291729018828578819
School administrators are struggling to make decisions about ensuring a quality education whilst following safety measures during the pandemic.
Do you think schools are taking appropriate safety measures for going back to school?
Let us know in the comments below!