Reporter’s Note
Should teachers still get a raise in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic? When faced with budget cuts, what should school districts cut first? We want to hear from you! Email mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or call 423-757-6592 to share your thoughts!
– Meghan
THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION NEWS
Though when and if schools physically reopen is still a debate nationally, most Tennessee districts are planning for classes to take place this fall. Many are also planning for multiple scenarios or even phases, and most say that education will look very different.
Staggered lunch times, social-distanced classrooms with desks spaced 6 feet apart, temperature checks, face masks – the very logistics of running a school building this fall will be a challenge, community leaders say.
Whether districts are dealing with 3,000 or 45,000 students, logistics such as entry points into buildings and whether students should wear face coverings are still up in the air, but school leaders like Superintendents Bryan Johnson of Hamilton County Schools, Russell Dyer of Cleveland City Schools and Mark Griffith of Marion County Schools are talking about these scenarios and more.
What the COVID-19 pandemic has done, Johnson said, is force school systems to think differently about how they deliver education.
“Candidly, I think many systems will be transformed forever, and we will be one of those,” he said.
Keep reading to learn more about what educators have to take into consideration when planning for reopening schools amidst a pandemic – and more.