On Wednesday, the entire fifth grade at East Side Elementary School in Marietta was sent home because so many children had tested positive for the virus.
At Walton High School, there was also an imperfect start. Holly Golden Simmel’s son, a junior, was exposed to the virus twice on his first day, in homeroom and in a science class. On the third day, he was exposed yet again.
But he could still go to school, under the district’s policy, as long as he was asymptomatic and wore a mask for 10 days. Other students could remain unmasked.
“I was incredulous,” Ms. Golden Simmel said. “This is a disaster in the making.”
The lack of a mask mandate has stirred parents. On Thursday evening, there were protests outside the Cobb County district’s offices in Marietta. Ms. Simmel and nearly 100 other parents — who want masks in schools and blame the superintendent for the lack of a mandate — clashed with a few who do not.
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