After some pictures of crowded North Paulding High School went viral, and shared anonymously, other students shared more pictures on social media, posting to their own accounts. For that, they've been suspended for a week.
Source: Buzzfeed
At least two students say they have been suspended at North Paulding High School in Georgia for posting photos of crowded hallways that went viral on Twitter.
The photos show students packed into hallways between classes, not appearing to practice social distancing and with few masks visible, amid the coronavirus pandemic. They went viral after being shared by the account @Freeyourmindkid.
One of the teens who posted photos, 15-year-old Hannah Watters, told BuzzFeed News she received a five-day, out-of-school suspension for posting one photo and one video on Twitter.
She posted the above photo with the caption, "Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate."
Watters said she was pulled into the school's office around noon on Wednesday and was told she had violated the student code of conduct.
"The policies I broke stated that I used my phone in the hallway without permission, used my phone for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent," she said.
Paulding County Schools has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged suspension.
This is the original picture that went viral, many people aghast at the conditions.
This is the first day of school in Paulding County, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/fzdidaAABM
— 🇯🇲BlackðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹Aziz🇳🇬aNANsi🇹🇹 (@Freeyourmindkid) August 4, 2020
UPDATE: Hannah Waters, the 15-year-old who was suspended for "getting into good trouble," as she put it, by posting pictures of her crowded high school, has now been unsuspended. Funny how shining a little light on stupid practices by schools can be such a disinfectant itself.
