Three TCSS schools shutting down on Thursday and Friday as COVID-19 cases rise

Published 1:37 pm Wednesday, August 18, 2021

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Three Troup County School System schools are being closed Thursday and Friday due to increased spread of COVID-19.

Long Cane Elementary, Rosemont Elementary and Long Cane Middle School will be closed both days, and Superintendent Brian Shumate said the school system will make an announcement Sunday on whether or not they will be reopened on Monday.

The campuses will be closed to all students on Thursday and Friday.

As of Wednesday, there were 116 total student cases at TCSS and 21 employee cases, according to the latest data released by the school system.

Long Cane Elementary has 15 student cases, Long Cane Middle has 18 and Rosemont has 11. Long Cane Elementary has 5 staff cases, Long Cane Middle has 1 and Rosemont Elementary has 3.

Shumate said many times it’s possible to track cases, especially if someone has COVID-19 at home and a parent self-reports. However, he said at those three schools it’s harder to tell where the cases are originating from. He noted that the Delta variant has been known to spread easier than other variants of the virus.

“It’s hard to pinpoint. You don’t know where they’re getting it, and how it’s being spread,” Shumate said. “So, we decided to shut down those three buildings for two days, including the weekend. We’re going to fog them tonight … Let the buildings rest and let everybody stay at home for two days, we’re going to do full virtual instruction for two days.”

According to a TCSS press release, parents wishing for their student(s) to receive meals during quarantine should place a meal order by calling (706) 883-1588 no later than 7:30 a.m. for that day’s meal service. Meals must be picked up at your child’s school between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Students electing to receive meals will be given breakfast and lunch for Thursday and Friday. All meals will be served at no cost.

All athletics and extracurricular activities at these schools will be canceled as well. The suspension will include all before- and after-school activities, practices, and events.