TN schools reopening as omicron cases surge
Hello and welcome (or welcome back) to School Zone. This is education reporter Meghan Mangrum.
Happy New Year, readers! I hope the holidays were restful and relaxing for you and yours. I know many Tennesseans, unfortunately, spent the past two weeks either trying to avoid contracting COVID-19 or quarantining at home with sick family members.,
Despite surging cases of the omicron variant, students are still headed back to school across the state this week, which leads us to our first bit of news.
College, universities delay start of classes, pivot to remote learning
The spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant and rising cases in the state have led several Tennessee colleges and universities to push back the start of the spring semester.
Tennessee State University has delayed reopening campus for a week, with classes set to resume on Jan. 24. Vanderbilt University also has delayed its semester until Jan. 17 for all undergraduates.
Elsewhere, LeMoyne-Owen College, Christian Brothers University and Rhodes College in Memphis have also delayed the return of in-person classes, though some are opting for virtual learning in the interim.
Back in Nashville, Belmont University also announced it will start its spring semester with remote learning — something most K-12 schools cannot do thanks to new state policies.
In an email, Belmont Provost Thomas Burns said the university's residence halls will be closed until Jan. 15, while classes are scheduled to start on Jan. 5. Belmont plans to resume in-person classes on Jan. 18.
K-12 schools still on track to reopen
Most school districts have not delayed the return to in-person classes, except for isolated weather-related incidents after Sunday night's winter storm. But some are beefing up safety precautions.
Wilson County Schools will start the spring semester conducting temperature checks for students upon arrival to school, but masks remain optional. Students returned to school buildings today.
Rutherford County Schools are reminding parents that state law prohibits government entities and public schools from requiring masks unless severe conditions arise, but school principals can request a mask requirement be issued for their school, according to an email sent to families Monday.
"The School Board can approve the request for up to 14 days on a school-by-school basis, and the school district must offer N95 masks," the email said.
Metro Nashville Public Schools is continuing to require all students and staff to wear face masks — even as the state appeals a federal judge's ruling blocking the new state law.
The district is also offering rapid COVID-19 testing this week at McGavock High School in partnership with the Metro Public Health Department.
Testing is available and free for Metro Nashville Public Schools employees and students and is taking place in the school's gym. The gym entrance is behind the enrollment center on McGavock's campus at 3150 McGavock Pike in Nashville.
Testing is available Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Metro Schools students are scheduled to return to school buildings on Friday, Jan. 7. (But be on the lookout for weather delays. More snow is on the way.)
Other news you might have missed
If you disconnected from your phone or email inbox over the holidays like me, you also might have missed some other news on Tennessee's education front.
Here's some other developments from the past few weeks:
The Tennessee Supreme Court will rehear arguments over Gov. Bill Lee's contentious school voucher program after the sudden death of Justice Cornelia A. Clark last year.
A federal judge approved a $6 million settlement against Rutherford County for illegally jailing children over several years.
Williamson County Schools was working to identify people who distributed flyers advocating against the disputed Wit & Wisdom English language arts curriculum outside at least 11 elementary schools and one middle school the week before Christmas.
The Beacon Center of Tennessee, a conservative think tank, named Metro Nashville Public Schools' $14.3 million no-bid contract with Meharry Medical College Ventures Inc. for COVID-19 mitigation services the "Pork of the Year" project in its annual "pork report."
And local officials weighed in at a meeting in Dickson on Dec. 17, on the local match component of a new school funding system. The Tennessee Department of Education has made a preliminary proposal to the funding review process steering committee to take up to another year to nail down a local match agreement.
With that, what do you think might be a priority for school or state leaders in 2022? What are you concerned about impacting your child's school? Think The Tennessean missed something last year?
I'd love to hear from you! You can reach me at mmangrum@tennessean.com or on Twitter @memangrum.
And thank you for reading! Our coverage of education and children's issues wouldn't be possible without Tennessean subscribers. If you aren't already one, please consider becoming a subscriber today.
Extra credit
► The FDA expanded the emergency use authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine booster to include youths aged 12 to 15 on Monday. The agency also reduced the required wait time for a booster from six to five months after the second shot for anyone 12 and older. The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention still must sign off on the authorization.
► TennesseeCAN released its 2021 Tennessee Policy Report Card evaluating and laying out crucial policies for state lawmakers this week. The annual report serves as a barometer on the state’s education policy efforts and their impact on the success of Tennessee students, according to a news release. Check out the report here.
► Haywood County Schools Superintendent Joey Hassell recently weighed in on the changes the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on education. Check out the USA Today Network — Tennessee's interview with Hassell here.
► A new study from the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, a partnership between Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Department of Education, found that Black teachers and male teachers consistently receive lower classroom observation scores on teacher evaluations than their white and female peers. Stay tuned for the full story from The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee schools reopening as omicron cases surge
