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Older students’ school week has three days online




ONLINE ONLY - schools logo

ONLINE ONLY – schools logo

Cheatham County middle and high schools will use a part-remote, part-classroom model to start the new school year, while K-4 students will be back in classrooms five days a week, according to the school district’s latest plan.

The exceptions for all grades involve students whose families have chosen the all-online option — about 30 percent of the district’s entire student population, Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck told the school board at its July 30 meeting.

Beck did not elaborate on that figure. District spokesman Tim Adkins said total student enrollment is about 5,800, not including new-student registration that began July 29 and was ongoing.

The new plan’s “hybrid” model for grades 5 through 12 marks a change from the district’s expectations in mid-July for a full return to in-person learning, except for students using the all-virtual option.

The school board held back-to-back meetings July 30, approving the plan on a 5-1 vote with member John Patrick dissenting.

The plan calls for a re-evaluation after Labor Day, which is Sept. 7.

The first full day of school for all students is set for Monday, Aug. 17 — after the school year begins for most students with a partial day the previous week.

Virus case numbers

According to the district, a key factor in school-opening plans and any later changes is the Tennessee Department of Health’s daily coronavirus case counts for Cheatham County. The district has emphasized the number of “active” cases — the running total minus the recoveries — saying it would base its decisions partly on these figures.

The district said it would favor a full return to classrooms if the number of active cases was below one-half of 1 percent of the county’s approximate population of 41,000.

The district said it would be inclined to go all-virtual if the number topped 1 percent, and would lean toward a hybrid model if the figure was in between.

However, the district has said other sources of information such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would play a role in decision-making.

Beck said at the July 30 meeting that the state health department’s daily updates might be missing some recoveries.

“I’ve said, and I’ll go on record again: Do I think that data is valid? No,” she said.

She said she has consulted with Cheatham County Mayor Kerry McCarver, who has separately announced the same concern on his Facebook page.

Beck said she, McCarver and state health personnel held a meeting. Beck said that the state changed protocols with respect to which of its units is responsible for counting recoveries, and reported recoveries for Cheatham “took a nosedive” after the change was made.

Even so, Beck said she could not ignore the official state numbers for the county, which have shown an uptick in active cases in recent weeks.

The state’s number of active COVID-19 cases reported for Cheatham County as of Aug. 1 was 272, or seven-tenths of 1 percent of 41,000.

The county’s coronavirus-related deaths reported by the state increased from four to five on Aug. 1. The number of negative tests topped 6,000.

Reopening plan

Aug. 17 is when the hybrid system fully kicks in for middle and high school students except for those using the all-virtual model, according to the new plan.

Beginning then, middle and high school students whose last names begin with A through K will go to school Mondays and Tuesdays and learn remotely Wednesdays through Fridays. Those with last names beginning with L through Z will be distance-learning Mondays through Wednesdays and going to classrooms Thursdays and Fridays.

All K-4 students who are not on the all-remote option will go to school five days a week.

For all grades when students are in schools, masks are required of students and staff when they are “not able” to socially distance, such as on buses, according to the plan.

Other major changes include elimination of crowded cafeterias by using the whole building for students to eat meals, plus a ban on sharing school supplies.

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