MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — CORRECTION: After this story aired, Crawford Finley says he received the GMC waiver form after he notified the school that his son would not return this fall. He says the waiver confirmed the decision he had already made about not sending his son to in-person classes.
Before sending their students back to GMC Prep's campus for the fall, parents were given a waiver to sign by school leaders.
However, one parent whose son will not be at GMC this call says he wouldn't have signed it.
"I care about the school, but I also care about my son and the health of the students," says parent Crawford Finley.
Finley says when it came time to decide whether or not to send his son back to school at GMC Prep, the decision came down to the health of the family.
"I had a heart attack, I have to see a doctor every two months, and the doctors have told me if this virus gets a hold of me, it could kill me," he says.
Finley decided in July to withdraw his ninth grader from the school for the fall semester. When he received the waiver a few days later, that confirmed his decision, he said.
Milledgeville mom Jessica Maraziti has two kids enrolled in the school. She said she was OK with it.
"Making sure that we understand the policies and procedures in place and if we send them back we are agreeing that that's the baseline and that's enough for us. If it is, we should feel confident in signing them," she says.
Finley says he objected to the waiver because of the last paragraph, which says the parent takes 'full responsibility if their child gets sick' and 'releases any and all claims against GMC,' even if that's the suspected place where the child got the virus form.
GMC President Lieutenant Gen. Retired Bill Caldwell says blame can't be placed on the school because there's no definite way to prove it.
"I don't think a parent would try to do that. If it happened, it could've happened because two of their kids did something after school together or they were in Kroger or a shopping store," says Caldwell.
As part of the new policies, students get unlimited absences in case they're sick.
GMC Prep has over 700 students in grades 3 through 12.
