NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — All Metro Nashville Public Schools will return to virtual learning after Thanksgiving break on Mon., Nov. 30, due to "the alarming increase in the spread of COVID-19 in the Nashville community."
MNPS Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle made the announcement Monday. Students will learn remotely from Nov. 30, until Dec. 17, the end of the semester.
“Our transmission rate, new cases per 100,000 residents, and 7-day positivity rate are at their highest points in months, and the situation may only be getting worse,” Dr. Battle said in a press release. “This is a serious and dramatic public health emergency that requires us all to renew our vigilance and take the safety precautions necessary to keep ourselves, our families, our friends, and those we may encounter safe through the wearing of masks, social distancing, and avoidance of large – especially indoor – gatherings whenever possible.”
Elementary school students who have been attending school in person and students with exceptional needs should report to school Tuesday, Nov. 24, but will return to learning virtually from Monday, Nov. 30, until the holiday break begins Dec. 17.
Learning preference surveys will be sent to MNPS families again. Parents will be able to choose between in-person or virtual learning for their child's second semester.
Dr. Battle said parents who want to change the decision they made in September will need to complete the survey, but parents who don't want to make a change do not need to do anything. The survey will be made available here from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.
After Dec. 4, all decisions for the remainder of the school year will be final so that school administrators can develop their schedules and align staff and students based on the in-person and virtual options.
While schools are operating remotely after Thanksgiving, students ages 5 to 12 and the children of Metro Schools employees can enroll in no-cost-with-verification YMCA Emergency Childcare, which will provide students with supervision and support for virtual learning Nov. 30-Dec. 30, with the exception of Dec. 24-25. Parents who used this option previously will not have to go through the verification process again but will have to register their students for the time slots available.
The Metro Schools locations for YMCA Emergency Childcare are:
- Buena Vista Enhanced Option: 1531 9th Ave. N, Nashville, TN 37208
- Gra-Mar Middle School: 575 Joyce Lane, Nashville, TN 37216
- Glencliff Elementary: 120 Antioch Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
- Gower Elementary: 650 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, TN 37209
- Tusculum Elementary: 440 McMurray Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
- Andrew Jackson Elementary: 110 Shute Lane, Old Hickory, TN 37138
- Stanford Montessori: 2417 Maplecrest Drive, Nashville, TN 37214
- Carter-Lawrence Elementary: 1118 12th Ave. S, Nashville, TN 37203
MNPS will continue to provide meals at no cost for all children 18 and under at school sites and bus stops. More information can be found here.
In response to Metro Schools returning to virtual learning, the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association released the following statement:
"MNEA applauds Dr. Battle's decision to go virtual for the rest of the semester. We feel this is necessary to protect the health and safety of all students, staff, and families. In addition, we feel that the disruption to learning caused by constant quarantines is overwhelming teachers' abilities to effectively do their jobs and making it impossible for parents to plan for childcare. We hope that going forward the district takes into consideration how challenging it is for educators and parents alike to not know day-to-day whether classes will be in-person or virtual. In addition to keeping more Nashvillians safe, we believe that remaining virtual in the coming semester would allow educators to improve their online teaching skills and the district could focus its limited resources on ensuring that online learning is done in an equitable manner."
