By Leia IdlibyJan 25th, 2021, 11:26 am
Cobb County teacher
Patrick Key, who was vocally adamant about the importance of mask wearing, died of the coronavirus on Christmas Day yet several school board members still refused to wear masks to honor their colleague’s dying wish.
“Patrick felt passionate about wearing masks during the pandemic,” read Key’s obituary. “In lieu of flowers, please buy and wear a mask to protect others and yourself in honor of him.”
While all members honored Key with silence, and most were already wearing masks, at least three, including Superintendent
Chris Ragsdale, refused to honor Key’s last request.
Three teachers in Cobb County, Ga., have died within a month from the virus that killed more than 530 K-14 educators in 2020, according to the American Federation of Teachers.
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
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
Of the 760,000 people in the county, some 58,350 have tested positive with the virus and 688 people have died