Last week, two high schoolers said they were suspended over viral photos of their high school’s packed hallways that were posted to social media. One high schooler remains unidentified, but Hannah Watters, a sophomore at North Paulding High School, gave an interview to CNN on Sunday night in which she shared she’s received threatening messages since her photos went viral. First, she explained her original motive in sharing the photos and video to Twitter, where they immediately got national attention.
"They kind of sent us to school and used us as guinea pigs to see what would happen later on,” she told CNN, explaining that she shared the photos because she believed it was the right thing to do, and that she thinks many teachers have her back because they “know how dangerous it is going to school.”
Hannah was right to be concerned. Why? As of now, six students and three staff members at the school have tested positive for the virus, as reported by The Washington Post. In fact, the school has closed for in-person classes, as well as extracurricular activities, for Monday and Tuesday in order to clean and disinfect the school and determine if there any possible close contact cases based on confirmed positives. Parents will find out on Tuesday evening if the school will reopen on Wednesday. Until then, students will have virtual learning.
But still, Hannah says that not everyone is pleased with her photos getting media attention; in fact, she told CNN she’s started receiving threatening messages.
According to Hannah, she (along with her friends and family) have received screenshots of group chats that include threats, like: “We're going to jump every girl named Hannah in the tenth grade” and that she’s going to have a “rough day at school on Monday.”
According to Hannah’s mom, Lynne Watters, her daughter’s suspension has been reversed, and will not appear on her record. The suspension was lifted as of Friday, and in her interview, Hannah says she did not receive a reason as to why it was lifted, but that the school apologized.
In a text message to the Post, Watters said the school principal “just said that they were very sorry for any negative attention that this has brought upon her and that in the future they would like for her to come to the administration with any safety concerns she has.”
While Paulding County is supplying masks for teachers, students are not required to actually wear a face mask or a face shield in school. Mind you, as Daily Kos covered, 97,000 children tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks of July alone.
Angie Franks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her two nephews attended North Paulding High on the first day of school and have since tested positive for the virus, telling the outlet: “They sat in class all day long with no masks and not social distancing.” She said her nephews’ father notified the school after they got the positive results and kept them home to quarantine.
As CBS News reports, one student from the high school told the outlet that students were not only not required to wear masks, but also were not sitting at socially distant desks while in the classroom.
On Thursday, Hannah told CNN she didn’t regret sharing the images to Twitter, saying her “biggest concern” isn’t about her own safety, but about everyone around her. “It’s about everyone being safe because behind every teacher, student and staff member there is a family, there are friends, and I would just want to keep everyone safe,” she told the outlet.
You can check out her interview below.