Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday afternoon that he recommends all Tennessee schools remain closed until the end of the school year. Lee made the announcement during his daily media briefing, where he also announced the creation of the COVID-19 Child Well-being Task Force.
Shortly after Lee’s announcement, the Jackson-Madison County School System announced in an email that it would be following Lee’s recommendation that students not return to school the remainder of this school year. The system also said it will continue to provide educational resources and perform administrative functions at schools and at the district office throughout the remainder of the year.
TN Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn released a statement about Lee’s recommendation and the creation of the task force.
“I appreciate the governor’s recommendation schools remain closed through the end of the school year to protect the health and safety of all Tennesseans,” Schwinn said in a news release. The coronavirus pandemic is constantly evolving, and we are only starting to see how this pandemic is affecting our children.”
Schwinn added, “Children being out of school for such a long time has significant implications for a child’s wellbeing, and this poses a different kind of challenge for all of us, as communities and as a state. There is critical work ahead, and I am honored to convene the COVID-19 Child Well-being Task Force in the coming weeks to focus state and local leaders on the wellbeing of Tennessee’s children.”
The release said Schwinn will be convening the task force to support local leaders and communities in caring for our students, particularly those who are vulnerable or most at risk. Details about the task force will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Dept. of Education has developed and designed a number of resources for optional, free use by local districts, the release said. This includes school closure toolkits; three times per week superintendent calls; instructional, daily programming on PBS and companion teacher, student and family guides; free access for all families to early childhood platform ReadyRosie; SchoolMealFinder website for families to locate meal services; a STE(A)M Resource Hub; as well as federal waivers with a focus on nutrition, accountability and special education.
The Department of Education will continually update guidance to school districts posted on its website: https://www.tn.gov/education/health-and-safety/update-on-coronavirus.html.