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Students at Georgia school snapped photos of maskless peers. Now, they face expulsion

UPDATE: North Paulding High School reversed course on Friday and will not be suspending the student.

Students at a Georgia high school are being threatened with suspension and other punishments after “negative” photos of their first day back to class circulated on social media.

One North Paulding High School student has already been suspended after snapping a photo of crowded hallways — with few students wearing masks — upon their return to school Monday, local station WSB-TV reported.

The image was one of many “back-to-school” photos that went viral this week, sparking criticism amid rising coronavirus cases across Paulding County and the state. As of Thursday, Georgia had over 204,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, data from the state Department of Public Health show.

Paulding County schools officials reportedly warned students they could be punished for posting such photos, but only after the image of the packed hallways drew backlash and thrust the county onto the national stage, CBS46 reported.

“Anything that’s going on social media that’s negative or alike without permission, photography, that’s video or anything, there will be consequences,” according to audio of an intercom announcement to North Paulding students obtained by the news station.

McClatchy News contacted the Paulding County School District for comment and is awaiting response.

The student behind the viral photo, Hannah Watters, told BuzzFeed News she was handed a five-day, out-of-school suspension for posting the image and a video online. Why? Violating 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,” Watters, 15, told the outlet.

A second student who didn’t give their name said they also were suspended after posting a similar photo, according to BuzzFeed News.

District superintendent Dr. Brian Otott said “there’s no question” the photos don’t look good, but argued the images had been taken out of context to criticize the district’s plan to reopen, according to WSBTV. He said the district’s 33,000-plus students continue to learn in-person and remotely during the pandemic.

“Under the COVID-19 protocols we have adopted, class changes that look like this may happen,” he said of the photo, “especially at a high school with more than 2,000 students.”

Georgia Schools Superintendent Richard Woods addressed the student punishments in a statement early Friday, saying disciplinary actions are “constitutionally the purview of local boards of education.”

“With that said, I want to encourage our districts and schools to operate with transparency, and to ensure that students and staff are not penalized for expressing their concerns,” Woods said. “I recognize that this situation is brand-new for everyone navigating it. We’re forging this path together, and the Georgia Department of Education continues to stand in support of Georgia’s school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and families.”