The former student alleges sex discrimination in how the school district handled the incident.

Wayne County, in southeast Georgia, has the 10th-highest rate among U.S. counties of cases per resident, according to figures reported by the New York Times. That’s been driven by FCI Jesup, a federal prison in the county that has more than 200 COVID-19 cases, including 15 staff members.

Budgets run tight in Georgia Public Schools, especially in rural communities. Some have been forced to reduce arts programs over the years to shift...