A story yesterday in https://www.techdirt.com/
You will recall the brief clusterfuck that occurred earlier this month in Georgia's Paulding County. The school district there, which opened back up for in-person classes while making wearing a mask completely optional, also decided to suspend two students who took and posted pictures of crowded hallways filled with maskless students.
While the district dressed these suspensions up as consequences for using a smartphone on school grounds, the school's administration gave the game away by informing all students that they would be disciplined for any criticism by students on social media in general. That, as we pointed out, is a blatant First Amendment violation.
Paulding County School District Now Trying To Duck FOIA Requests
from the teaching-moments dept
While the district dressed these suspensions up as consequences for using a smartphone on school grounds, the school's administration gave the game away by informing all students that they would be disciplined for any criticism by students on social media in general. That, as we pointed out, is a blatant First Amendment violation.
Once the blow-back really got going, the school district rescinded the suspensions. In the days following, students and teachers at the school began falling ill and testing positive for COVID-19. It got bad enough that the school decided to shut down. With so much media attention, it was a matter of who was going to get the FOIA requests in for documents on what led to the suspensions first.
Vice put a request in. However, because this district can't seem to stop punching itself in the gut, the school district is attempting to duck the FOIA requests entirely. . .
READ MORE > https://www.techdirt.com/
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Days After Viral Pics Of Maskless Students Crowded In Hallway, Georgia High School Reports Nine Infected With Coronavirus
TOPLINE
As administrators, educators and parents throughout the country attempt to figure out how and when to safely reopen schools, a Georgia high school which made national headlines this week after photos of a packed hallway rapidly spread across the internet, reported this weekend that at least six students and three staff members have tested positive for Covid-19.
KEY FACTS
North Paulding High, located in the Atlanta suburbs, reopened fully on Monday and garnered nationwide coverage after images of students (many of them not wearing face coverings) jammed into a hallway went viral.
Two North Paulding students were suspended after posting pictures of the school's crowded interior on social media.
After widespread criticism accusing the school of attempting to silence the students, the district relented and lifted the suspensionson Friday.
On Saturday, the school district confirmed that at least nine at the school had contracted the coronavirus.