JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Less than two weeks after returning to in-person learning, Alaya Horne's hopes for 4th grade were turned upside down.
The Fulton County Schools student returned to in-person learning on August 9 for the first time in more than 500 days. But now, she's second-guessing being back in the classroom.
She says it's because so many kids are getting COVID.
"Friday, when I picked her up from school, she said her throat hurt a little bit. By Sunday, our whole family had symptoms." Alaya's mom, Shara Horne, said. "We all went to urgent care, got tested, were all negative."
Because Alaya was still a little congested, her mom wanted to keep her home for an extra day. Then, she heard from another mom who mentioned a positive COVID-19 case in Alaya's class.
The update prompted Shara to get Alaya re-tested, and this time, her test came back positive.
"I knew it was going to be positive," Alaya said. "Because we were all sick."
Shara isn't surprised that her daughter was exposed given current case numbers, but communication issues and the contact tracing process have proved frustrating.
"I don't know that she got exposed in school," Shara said, "With the way things are, it could have been the grocery store. My husband could have brought it home. We don't know. What I'm upset about is I wasn't notified in order to protect the rest of the class."
Shara said she was told Alaya didn't fall within guidelines for close contact. So, if she hadn't heard about the positive case from a fellow parent, she wouldn't have known to get Alaya re-tested, assuming the first negative test was correct.
"It doesn't' seem like there's a clear plan that everyone understands between administration, the nurse, the teachers, parents," she added. "We aren't on the same page at all."
Since Alaya tested positive, she's currently in quarantine. Her fever has since returned, and she's been dealing with headaches and fatigue as she still tries to juggle classwork and 4th-grade assessments.
"It's still very, very hard," Alaya said. "I have COVID, and I don't know what to do."
A Fulton County Schools district spokesperson tells 11Alive the district follows Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines to determine a close contact for contact tracing. The district said they strive to have a consistent process, but circumstances and notification for each case can vary. Fulton County Schools also recently announced it plans to increase nursing resources to help with contact tracing.
11Alive is still working to clarify why Alaya's family wasn't notified.
Editor's Note: The Learning Curve is an ongoing series on 11Alive and 11Alive.com that will follow the stories of local students as they navigate this unprecedented school year.