The Aiken County Coroner’s Office confirmed that just three weeks into the start of the 2021-2022 school year, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of two students in Aiken County.
Coroner Darryl Ables said 9-year-old Ethan Blue and 15-year-old Emily Brosnahan died on Sept. 1.
Blue went to North Augusta Elementary School while Brosnahan attended Aiken High School.
MORE: COVID-19 Dominates Aiken School Board Meeting
Lisa Kaylor, spokeswoman for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, had confirmed a child died from SARS-CoV-2 on Sept. 1.
The Board of Education is meeting in special session on Sept. 7, called by Board Chairman Dr. John Bradley. The only item listed on the agenda is “Discussion in Regards to the District’s Response to COVID-19 & Quarantines.”
During their last regular meeting on Aug. 24, board members heard from Don Quigley, who said he has four grandchildren in Aiken County schools. He said his grandson was advised that he had been in close contact with a student diagnosed with COVID-19 but if he could provide proof he was vaccinated, he would be exempt from quarantine.
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“This is coercion, plain and simple, to try to get him to take the COVID mRNA gene therapy shots. It’s not a vaccination,” said Quigley. “For the last 18 months, our children have been used as pawns in this fake pandemic. I ask you as our elected representatives to fully educate yourselves on the true scientific facts surrounding COVID and the mRNA gene therapy shot.”
Bradley responded, “I don’t think you have a right to make my child sick. If you don’t take precautions; if you don’t want to take the vaccine; if you don’t want to wear a mask, and you want to send your kid to school and he makes half a dozen others sick, we end up quarantining half the school. That’s just not fair. That makes no sense.”
Schools in South Carolina are prohibited from instituting a mask mandate because of a proviso the state legislature included in the state budget.
MORE: Area School Districts Tracking Rising COVID-19 Numbers
“This is a challenging time, but it is our goal to keep students and staff healthy and in school. That is why we continue to encourage students and staff to wear a mask, maintain social distancing, wash and sanitize hands, stay home when sick to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and get vaccinated if eligible,” Superintendent King Laurence said. “We learned a lot last year and are better prepared. I encourage all students, staff and families to be prepared for learning from home in the event it will happen.”
Aiken County posts a weekly update confirming student and staff cases that have been reported to SCDHEC. That information can be accessed here. It is updated every Tuesday evening.
Dana Lynn McIntyreis a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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