The Fulton County School System has announced that Cambridge High School in Milton will be closed Oct. 20-22 due to COVID-19 cases among staff or students, the second such closure since in-person classes resumed on Oct. 14.
Banneker High in College Park was closed Oct. 16 after at least three staff or students reported positive test results.
FCS spokesperson Brian Noyes said after advice from the Fulton County Health Department, and because the school reached Level 2 on its closing matrix, school officials directed the school to be closed. The three days of the closure will be spent contact-tracing students and staff who came into contact with individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus. A deep-clean and sanitization of the school also will be completed.
Students and staff will be contacted individually if they need to continue with self-quarantining, Noyes said.
When the school reopens, activities including sports and theater presentations can resume, though the decision to hold events and activities rests with the hosting organizations, he said.
In its report on COVID-19 in schools for Oct. 5-18, FCS showed two positive cases and 141 students and staff quarantined for Cambridge High. That same report showed Banneker had five positive cases and 72 students and staff in quarantine.
Noyes said when the school district moved to face-to-face instruction, its closing matrix plans call for closing only affected classrooms, students and staff, with an escalation to an entire school when Level 2 is reached. The closing matrix for Level 2 is reached when three or more students or staff from the same site have positive test results.
The district uses its social media outlets to announce school closures, such as the Cambridge closure.
The neighboring Atlanta Public Schools system recently announced that it will delay a return to in-person classes until January due to pandemic safety concerns.