NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Public Schools reports that more than 1,000 of its students and staff are either quarantined or isolated due to COVID after school started last week.
MNPS provided the data via its “COVID-19 reports in schools,” for August 9-15. According to MNPS, 95 staff members are quarantined or isolated with 52 confirmed positives; whereas 980 students are quarantined or isolated and 207 are confirmed positive.
View the full report to see a more specific breakdown for each school.
According to the district, the numbers include all cases – both virtual and in-person – that are tracked by the Student Health Services department.
MNPS said quarantines include students or staff who reported symptoms of COVID but are not necessarily an MPHD-required quarantine.
MNPS students returned to in-person learning on August 10 with mitigation protocols in place, including mask wearing. Before the start of the new school year, the Board of Education voted to require masks indoors and on buses.
Last week, House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R - Crossville) sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee asking him to call a special session to discuss mask mandates in schools. Sexton has said that he is against letting local school districts mandate masks, saying he believes that decision should be up to parents.
However, guidance from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all students, teachers, and staff wear a mask, regardless of their vaccination status.
