Fulton County Schools take the health and safety of our students and staff very seriously in the Fulton County School District. It is a shared expectation that parents, guardians and students not only take their own health and safety seriously, but that they make the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff THE priority now that we have resumed face to face instruction in our schools. Unfortunately, there have been some instances where students have entered our school buildings with observable and measurable symptoms of illness and/or knowingly awaiting COVID test results. And in some rare cases, they have even lied about this. I cannot stress enough how irresponsible this behavior is, as it compromises the health and safety of every student and staff member in a school building and jeopardizes all students’ ability to receive face-to-face instruction.
As a result, if a student comes to school knowingly experiencing illness or symptoms of COVID-19, we may take the following actions to protect the health and safety of students, staff, and the community:
- Moving the student to virtual learning for a specified time, including the remainder of the semester;
- Removal of the ability to participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities or events; and/or
- Referral to the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) in cases of suspected abuse or neglect.
Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and any student who is dishonest or causes a school disruption will be subject to our Student Code of Conduct and extracurricular rules, as is typical. Again, safety and health is our number one priority! We must all work together to ensure a safe and successful school year. The professionals at Fulton County Schools will do their part. We need our parents, students, community members, and other stakeholders to do theirs, as well.
