County commission, school board discuss reopening schools

JACKSON, Tenn.– It’s almost time for school to start in Jackson-Madison County, but what will it look like?

“The goal is to get everyone back at school, but we need them to be healthy when they return to school and to stay healthy,” coordinated school health administrator Annette Wilson said.

School board members and county commissioners met for the monthly Education Vision meeting Tuesday evening.

Most of the discussion at the meeting revolved around reopening schools safely during a constantly changing situation.

“It’s a big challenge that we are facing, and our district has worked so hard with different groups and committees and teams to make sure that we listen to the community,” deputy superintendent Dr. Ricky Catlett said.

As a result of parent and staff surveys, Jackson-Madison County Schools plan to offer an in-person option and a virtual option.

However, one issue is making sure families who prefer a virtual option have the tools for it.

The school system is working on a way to ensure it.

“We’ll provide those devices for them to have and, where needed, a hot spot for parts of the community that may not have internet access,” Catlett said.

Students returning to school in person can expect temperature checks every morning and possibly throughout the day, and more emphasis on hand washing.

Masks will be mandatory for staff members, along with middle and high school students, and will be recommended for elementary students.

Students will also be kept in the same group and have assigned seats to help with contact tracing if someone gets sick.

Wilson said they are working on a plan for older students who have to rotate classes.

“They’re working very hard to look at that, so we can try to still keep as many of the kids together all day long so that they’re not mixing and mingling as much as possible,” Wilson said.

They also discussed bus transportation for families who said getting a ride is an issue for them.

“We’ve got some measures in place for a mask, hand sanitizers, and some things,” Catlett said. “We’re going to try to do everything we can to make sure that those students are safe on the bus.”

School officials will announce a start date on Wednesday.