Logo courtesy of Jackson-Madison County School System
The following is a letter from Jackson-Madison County School System Superintendent Dr. Marlon D. King:
“Much debate over mask mandates in schools has created angst and outrage throughout our nation, states, and communities. As I watch the data and engage my team around the best approach to educating students safely, I realize that we have challenges in minimizing disruption to teaching and learning. Because many of our school administrators, teachers, and staff continue to strongly encourage masks in schools for student safety, we have around 75% or more of our students wearing masks in schools. We are educating 12,800 (plus) students in-person, as compared to last year, which means some of the safety protocols were easier to implement versus this year.”
“However, schools remain resilient in executing the best practice to minimize the spread of the virus while educating students with quality instruction. While some concerns are raised among adults, an overwhelming majority of our students are showing personal responsibility by wearing masks.”
Chart: Snapshot of Masks Worn in Schools
“We continue to use our data very deliberately in an effort to minimize disruptions for this year as much as possible. The chart below highlights the percentage of quarantines and isolation from last week.”
Chart: August 16 System-wide Isolated & Quarantine “Student” Cases Percentage
Chart: August 16 System-wide Isolation and Quarantine “Teacher” Numbers
“In analyzing the data aforementioned, I am inclined to believe that our students are demonstrating personal responsibility at a level that we couldn’t possibly imagine. I had predicted that students not wearing masks over the weekend would potentially increase the isolated cases at the beginning of the week, but that was incorrect. In
thinking more deeply, many of the students are not as mobile as adults during a weekend span.
However, there is an increase in staff at the beginning of the week. This is a reminder for all of us to remain vigilant and take safety precautions beyond the 5-day school week. The majority of families, students, administrators, teachers, and support staff are demonstrating hard work and cohesiveness through these unparalleled times. I couldn’t be more proud of what we are doing together to lessen disruption to teaching and learning for staff/students. All hands are on deck to do whatever is necessary to have a school year where learning is a priority despite our current global health conditions. As a parent of a JMCSS student, I saw firsthand how high quality instruction was compromised, and for that, I am determined to work relentlessly to recover learning loss. Safety will remain a priority, as I hope this data reveals much about our students and staff.”