Parents in a county with one of Georgia’s highest coronavirus rates are protesting to get children back in school

CNN — Coronavirus cases are surging in Gwinnett County, Georgia, where the numbers are among the highest in the state and also where parents and students are demanding schools reopen their doors for the new school year. The group is gathering outside the Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Instructional Support Center Friday morning to protest the decision to keep students out of school buildings. The district also pushed back the reopening to August 12, “giving the district additional time to review and adjust its return to school plans to best meet students’ needs and to reflect the most updated guidance from public health officials,” the district said in a July 7 news release. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Gwinnett County, using that information to determine when we can safely pivot to in-person instruction.” It’s not about denying the virus, its about knowing what’s best for your own family Since the decision to go virtual came out, Willyard said she has been trying to contact everyone from the school board, to senators, to the governor and even President Donald Trump. “There’s positives and negatives to sending kids to school and there’s positives and negatives to keeping kids home, and we should be able to make that decision,” Mitchell, another parent said.