Welcome to this week’s School Report.
School districts in the Tennessee Valley and Northwest Georgia will soon reach the end of the first quarter in the third school year affected by COVID-19.
In Tennessee, Hamilton County Schools has seen a downward trend in COVID-19 cases and quarantines since the start of the school year, but concerns over the district’s mask policy linger for families of students with disabilities or medical conditions who are too young to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Walker County Schools in Georgia began a hybrid schedule this week, where students attend class in person four days a week with at-home learning taking place on Wednesdays. The schedule is reminiscent of hybrid schooling that took place last year, but also drew questions from families concerned about a change to the school year’s format.
School districts across the Tennessee Valley take fall breaks this week, including Bradley County Schools, Cleveland City Schools, Polk County Schools and Sequatchie County Schools, with more to come in the following weeks.
Thanks for reading, and as always, please reach out to achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com with any tips, questions or story ideas.