Two teachers from the same Georgia school district die from COVID-19 within hours of each other three weeks after a beloved art educator from the area passed on Christmas Day
Two teachers from the same school district in Georgia died within hours of each others from complications from the coronavirus.
Both Dana Johnson and Cynthia Lindsey, educators at Cobb County Schools in the metro Atlanta area, died on Thursday.
The educators deaths were confirmed by Connie Jackson, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators, CNN reports. A GoFundMe page for the two teachers also confirmed the news.
Both Dana Johnson and Cynthia Lindsey, educators at Cobb County Schools in the metro Atlanta area, died on Thursday
Johnson, a teacher at Kemp Elementary School, had pre-existing conditions. Lindsey was a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary.
Patrick Key, a third educator from the county, died on Christmas Day from COVID-19 complications. Key was a beloved art teacher at Hendricks Elementary School in Powder Springs.
'Teachers are willing to take a bullet for our kids. We shouldn't have to be willing to, in the middle of a pandemic, die from a disease because we want to be teachers,' Jackson said.
Patrick Key, a third educator from the county, died on Christmas Day from COVID-19 complications. Key was a beloved art teacher at Hendricks Elementary School in Powder Springs
The two teachers who died on Thursday were remembered as valuable members of their schools in a statement from the district.
'Every member of our school community has been impacted by the ongoing battle against COVID-19,' said the Cobb County School District. 'We continue to ask our staff, students, and families to follow public health guidance - wear masks and social distance - so we can stay as healthy as possible.'
Cobb County, like the rest of the state, has struggled with the pandemic.
Of the 760,000 people in the county, some 58,350 have tested positive for the virus and 688 people have died, according to the Cobb County Covid dashboard.
The Cobb County Schools website states that there are 388 active cases of coronavirus as of Friday. Approximately 107,000 students are served in the district.
All in-person classes were recently canceled for the week of January 18. due to the increased number of students and staff having to quarantine. But in-person classes - along with virtual ones as well - are expected to resume on January 25.
