Hamilton County Schools leaders tasked with reopening schools are considering a phased approach as part of the district’s plan.
A reopening task force is led by the district’s chief talent officer, Keith Fogleman, and retired Lt. Col. William Brooks, the district’s director of junior ROTC.
The group is initially planning four stages of reopening, from the phase schools were in this spring (widespread closures and virtual learning) to phases that include blending on-campus and virtual learning and short-term closures of specific schools that experience a COVID-19 outbreak.
“This is what we think the phase will look like, and depending on what the situation looks like, we may be moving between these phases next school year,” Fogleman told the Hamilton County school board during a meeting Thursday night. “What we are trying to do as we build this plan is build the planning for these scenarios to help us be able to effectively and efficiently move between these phases.”
Once the district and the community as a whole have determined that the risk of reopening is minimal, all schools could be open under this third phase, Fogleman explained.