More than 2,700 parents signed a petition to instate a mask mandate for Cobb County schools. | Unsplash/Sharon McCutcheon
More than 2,700 parents signed a petition to instate a mask mandate for Cobb County schools. | Unsplash/Sharon McCutcheon
Parents are calling for action after all fifth-grade students at a Cobb County elementary school were sent home due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
On Aug. 11, the school sent an emergency email to parents to pick up their children before noon, according to FOX 5 News. The emergency prompted many parents to voice their concern for schools to do more to protect their children, and more than 2,700 signed a petition to make masks mandatory in Cobb County Schools.
Georgia state Rep. Teri Anulewicz took to Twitter to voice her agreement for stronger health measures.
"It's time for a mask mandate in @CobbSchools. It's also time for them to require all unvaccinated faculty & staff be tested 2x/week. These tactics are the only way to keep everyone safe, & keep our kids in school f2f – & that's what parents want, right?" Anulewicz wrote in an Aug. 12 Twitter post.
The emergency announcement came after several students and staff at the school tested positive for COVID-19 and were sent home.
The fifth-graders will be required to stay home and use virtual learning through Aug. 20, Fox 5 News reported.
Health officials report that the state of Georgia is facing surging numbers of COVID-19 cases with the highly-contagious Delta variant accounting for more than 90% of new cases, according to FOX 5 News.
Alerts Sign-up