FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. – Less than a month since the start of school, Fayette County Public Schools has already lost two of its staff members to COVID.
Both contracted the virus before the semester began and never came into contact with students, the district said.
Over the weekend, LaGrange-Moscow Elementary cafeteria worker Angela Bonner died from COVID. Records show she was just 50 years old.
The school system said Bonner hadn’t reported to work all semester because she had already tested positive when classes began.
Two weeks ago, West Junior High School teaching assistant Geneva Johnson died from COVID.
The district said she had attended a staff development day the week before school started but began showing symptoms so didn’t return to work.
“It’s getting more and more real. It’s getting closer and closer,” said Moscow resident Justice Yeager.
COVID has been a constant concern for Yeager after her sister recently tested positive.
“Thank the Lord she was fine and she got over it and we were just blessed,” said Yeager.
While neither of the two school employees who died contracted COVID on campus, Yeager still worries for her school-age siblings who attend school there.
“I have two, three in kindergarten and one in third grade it just scares me every day,” she said.
Since Monday, two more school employees have tested positive for COVID along with 10 students.
Fayette County Public Schools has 3,700 students total.