Hundreds at Atlanta charter school quarantine days after school year begins

More than 100 students at an Atlanta charter school were under quarantine fewer than two days after school began, the district says. 

Drew Charter School identified the initial COVID-19 cases in three students and two staff members after testing roughly 1,900 students, faculty and staff to start the school year. 

As of Saturday, the number of people to test positive 10 students and six staffers. Of the six staff, officials say only one is known to be vaccinated. 

"What I can tell you is what they face is what school districts across the country will be facing in the coming weeks," Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education chair Jason Esteves said. 

Atlanta Public Schools is standing strong behind its mask mandate. 

"It's not an easy (decision), but one that follows science," Esteves said. 

District officials say none of the cases appear to be linked to the school. 

The quarantining students will be in virtual learning on Monday, the district said. 

Atlanta Public Schools is one of a handful of school districts with mask mandates in place. School districts in Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett also enacted mask mandates.

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