Schools in Gibson County prepare to welcome students back

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — On Monday, desks will be filled with students for the upcoming school year. Eddie Pruett, Director of Schools for the Gibson County Special School District, says students will be in-person starting next week.

And while they did have virtual options last year, they will not have them this year.

“We had a number of students that were virtual and in-person. It was hard for the teachers to meet the needs of all of those students,” Pruett said. “We did have Fridays as virtual for the district, but this year we are not doing that because everyone will be in-person.”

The district will have cleaning precautions to make sure students are protected as they did last year. But Pruett says they are leaving the mask policy to parent preference.

“We are not requiring masks, but we are recommending them, so that will be a parent choice,” Pruett said. “They will be able to make the decision. If they feel more comfortable sending their child with a mask, we will definitely support that. We will have additional masks available for students if they want to use one.”

He says that both teachers and students are ready to get the first of the year started off right.

“The first of the year always has that buzz. Everybody is going around and excited to see everybody, and we are looking forward to seeing all of the great outcomes for this school year.”

Pruett says they are going to do everything they can to make sure every student is safe.

Pruett also says they will have seating charts to keep up with students that have been in close contact with other students that test positive for COVID-19.

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