Metro Nashville Public Schools to stay virtual until fall break, K-2 among first to start in-person classes
Meghan MangrumMetro Nashville Public Schools won't reopen most classrooms until at least October, Director of Schools Adrienne Battle announced Tuesday.
The majority of the district's 86,000 students will continue learning virtually until the district's fall break begins on Oct. 5.
Even then, most students aren't likely to return to the classroom right away after fall break. Instead, the district will phase-in the return of students to their classrooms, starting with the youngest learners in pre-K and grades K-2, Battle announced during a school board meeting Tuesday.
Upper elementary grade and middle school students will follow. High school students, most of whom have been taking classes on a semester schedule, might not return to campus until January.
"The current recommendation is that we really focus on a phase-in approach to reopening our schools," Battle told The Tennessean. "We want to make sure that it's effective, that it's efficient and that once our students return we can have as few interruptions and disruptions to their educational and learning environment so they can prepare accordingly."
Some exceptional education students will be among the first to return to school buildings. The district has identified about 1,500 students with the highest needs that will be given the option to return after Labor Day — but Battle emphasized that doesn't mean every student with an IEP (individualized education program) will be able to return before the rest of their classmates.
Students who attend contracted special days schools, Genesis Academy and High Roads School of Nashville, will have the option to return on Sept. 9. Students who attend Metro Schools-run special day schools returning to campus on Sept. 16.
Students with disabilities who attend traditional schools, but participate in modified curriculum, or who are having significant challenges accessing virtual learning could have the opportunity to return to classrooms on Sept. 23.
Battle announced these updates during a Metro Nashville Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, when she also updated board members on the district's progress since reopening virtually.
Nashville students started the school year learning at home on Aug. 4, as did the city's charter schools. The district is one of only a handful in Tennessee that decided to start the year remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Providing stability
Many parents surveyed this summer were in favor of hybrid schedules with students spending some time online and some in the classroom, but due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in the community, Battle and her team opted to begin the year virtually.
Most Tennessee school districts reopened classroom buildings this month, but dozens of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have already been reported.
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Nearby districts have already sent hundreds of students home to quarantine, closed schools and changed schedules or methods of instruction because of reported cases.
Some educators have questioned decisions to reopen, even calling on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to not allow schools to reopen. Lee has continued to press districts to hold in-person classes, saying it is the best option to help students continue to learn.
Parents, though, have been split with some demanding schools reopen and others praising decisions like Battle's to prioritize student and teacher health and safety, despite the challenges of virtual, or remote, learning.
School leaders and board members have praised the move to remain online and not return to schools, just to have to close or send children home to quarantine because of outbreaks. Most board members praised Battle Tuesday night.
"I love this plan. I love that you listened to our parents and our community," board member Christiane Buggs said during the meeting. "This is so inclusion and the idea that when we are able to open up we start with elementary students and this partnership with the YMCA will be able to support essential workers."
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Consistency is important, Battle said, especially for the district's youngest learners.
"We need to prioritize our youngest learners and their first years in schools to maximize every opportunity we can. Socialization matters. Quality of experiences matter," Battle said. "We know our youngest learners need that continuity, that consistency, that support as much as possible.
Educators across the country have recommended bringing back young students and those with the highest needs first because of the difficulties online learning can present. Parents also often struggle with balancing work and supervising young learners, as compared to parents of children old enough to stay home alone.
"We also know our high school students tend to be able to manage the virtual environment much better and we also know that they tend to transmit the virus at a higher rate than some other students, according to most recent data," Battle said.
Battle also said the district is hopeful about the phase-in approach, but said it is contingent on COVID-19 conditions continuing to improve in Nashville.
Helping parents with child care during virtual learning
Several Metro Nashville school board members told The Tennessean they have heard a variety of opinions from parents and know that many are struggling with educating their children at home, especially elementary-aged students, and balancing work.
Some parents haven't had the option to stay home with their children and others have cobbled together innovative ideas with neighbors or tutors to make virtual schooling work.
With classes remaining remote, Metro Schools will partner with the YMCA to provide in-person child care and virtual learning support for students. The YMCA has already been providing care for the children of essential workers, but through this new expansion, at least seven more sites will be re-opened across the city at schools that have existing relationships with the organization.
Enrollment at each site will be kept "manageable," with up to about 60 students, Battle said. Students in grades K-5, or ages 5-12, whose parents need child care in order to work will be eligible.
The district is working with the YMCA to provide professional development to center staff on the district's virtual learning platforms and curriculum so that staff can support students while they work on their classwork during the day.
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Some have posed the question: If these YMCA sites can open, why can't schools? But Battle emphasized that the small scale and teacher-student ratio of about 1-to-10 allows the risk of transmitting the virus to be much lower than when entire elementary schools reopen.
Parents will still be given the option to keep their children at home and continue virtual learning once schools physically reopen, but they will likely have to commit to the entire semester or the rest of the school year, depending on the grade-level of their child and when classes resume.
Fall sports, extracurricular activities
Metro Schools initially postponed most extracurricular activities including contact sports until at least Labor Day. Those activities will stay postponed until further notice, Battle said Tuesday.
Teams will be able to practice and condition, but there will be no competitions that require in-person or contact, Battle said. As of now, the district has not allowed any indoor or contact practices to be held, she said.
"We were originally planning to start games after Labor Day, that might not be the case," Battle said. "We are postponing. We are going to continue our discussion with our principals, our athletic directors and coaches and our sponsors and continue to have dialogue over the next days and week to come up with the best options."
The Metro Public Health Department also recommended Tuesday that no interscholastic sporting events take place until each of the participating schools determines that students can safely attend classes in person — in line with the district’s own decisions.
Battle said that whether student athletes, particularly football players, are able to play this fall is dependent on if the community works to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
"The reality is we could have (no games) or we could have multiple experiences based on our ability as a city to continue to monitor our COVID-19 cases and transmission and continue on a positive path," Battle said. "I know the importance of this experience for students and what it does to set them up for opportunities beyond high school but their safety still is a priority."
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Board member Fran Bush raised many of the concerns on the minds of coaches and players. She questioned the equity of private schools competing this fall while public schools, which enroll majority Black and brown students, sit on the sidelines. Many of these students depend on sports to earn scholarships to college, Bush said.
"Bring the coaches to the table. They want to have a voice," Bush told Battle. "They want you to see them and hear from them."
Coronavirus in Nashville
Metro Schools' latest decision comes as the spread of the coronavirus slows across Nashville and Tennessee. Nashville has reported steadily fewer infections and hospitalizations since city officials mandated masks and closed bars nearly two months ago. Mayor John Cooper regularly describes the progress as “fragile,” insisting that it could be quickly undone if residents stop taking the virus as seriously.
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Nashville's average daily infections, which peaked in July at more than 400, have fallen to 176 as of Monday. Hospitalizations followed a similar arch, peaking at more than 222 and falling to 136.
On Tuesday, the city’s average test positivity fell below 10%, the threshold the White House uses to identify coronavirus hot spots, for the first time since May.
"We as a city have made some progress with regards to COVID-19, but not where we need to be right now. We are continuing to monitor and make sure conditions truly allow for a safe and equitable return for all of our students," Battle said Tuesday. "We're also closely monitoring what's happening locally and around us so we can make the most informed decision."
Reporter Brett Kelman contributed to this story.
Meghan Mangrum covers education in Nashville for the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Contact her at mmangrum@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.