Williamson school district defines metric for determining whether school's in or out
Kerri BartlettThe Williamson County School District has decided to use its own metric to determine when school should be in session or out, depending on the spread of coronavirus.
On Thursday, WCS superintendent Jason Golden presented parameters for its three-scenario school reopening plan unveiled last month.
The district drafted a metric, based on active COVID-19 cases compared to the total county population to determine the rate of spread in Williamson County.
School is scheduled to open on Aug. 7.
Coronavirus data is collected from the Tennessee Department of Health.
Based on the county's current population of 238,412, and the number of active COVID-19 cases in the county, or 263 (as of on June 9), just 0.1103% of the Williamson County population is affected, which would indicate "low spread," according to the district.
As of Thursday, there were 662 confirmed cases of COVID-19, while 395 people have recovered.
Left without clear guidance from the state, Golden and WCS Safety Director Mike Fletcher advocated for the ability for the district to determine its own metric to determine what will shut down schools.
Golden also explained that the Tennessee Department of Education is allowing local education authorities (LEAs) to set its framework for reopening, which is driving the WCS reopening plan.
"The question we didn't have from the state last month is, what is going to be the metric that drives schools to close," Golden said.
"The decision on the metric is going to be in the hands of each LEA."
The reopening framework will be defined on the scale of "low, medium and high community spread."
"Our number one goal is to be in school," Golden said.
Framework for reopening
- Zero cases – Normal school
- Low – Spread less than 0.5% of COVID in the community – All students in school. (The county is currently in the low category.)
- Medium – Spread (0.5%- 1%) of COVID in the community – Remote learning only select students and activities in school
- High – Spread more than 1% of COVID in the community – Remote learning only select students in school
According Fletcher, the thought process behind the percentages are based on the data and what the county has experienced so far.
"At 1% we would be higher in this community than we ever have been, and we have made decisions in the past based on lower numbers," Fletcher said.
More:As coronavirus numbers increase in Williamson, Franklin mayor concerned about complacency
Tiered health protocols
School health protocols will depend on the category at which the district reopens, based on the spread of coronavirus.
According to the district, Williamson County is now experiencing a rate of spread less than .5%, which would constitute the implementation of "low spread" health protocols that protect students from COVID-19.
Such health protocols, advised by the the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and health departments, include the following:
- washing hands before and after class/activities and using hand sanitizer
- educational work space and common places like cafeteria will be distanced as much as possible
- masks are recommended for all students and staff, especially in shared spaces for more than 15 minutes
- if a case is determined to be in the building, the building will be closed and cleaned. Remote learning will be implemented.
If the county reaches a rate of .5% to 1% spread, remote learning would be put in place by the district.
The district will also survey parents on June 22 to determine of any students would require home bound services because of conditions and illnesses that would prevent them attending school in a school building during COVID-19.
Wearing a mask
Fletcher acknowledged that wearing a mask for students and teachers would be a difficult ask throughout an eight-hour school day.
"While it's a strong recommendation (wearing mask), we recognize the difficulties in going to school that length of time during the school day ... teaching and learning, and wearing a mask for so long," Fletcher said.
He also emphasized that the purpose of the mask is to protect others.
"The mask is not a protectant for you, the individual, to prevent you from getting COVID. The mask is for you to not spread of COVID if you have it," Fletcher said.
School board member Jay Galbreath said he is concerned about athletes wearing a mask at any time, even when not on the field.
Currently the district does not require students to wear masks to be worn while on the field, exercising or practicing athletics. However, social distancing is enforced.
He advocated for athletes not to be required to wear masks at practice.
"I am asking that we not ask people doing athletic exercising to wear a mask regardless of their proximity to others," Galbreath said.
"Exercising with a mask on is absolutely dangerous. I don't want to be a part of us requiring that."
Tracking coronavirus
School board member Eliot Mitchell raised concerns about the way that coronavirus information is tracked and the lack of in-depth data.
Mitchell asked if there was a way to identify coronavirus outbreaks by region and zip codes within the county to determine where the virus is spreading the most.
However, there are limited means to do so based on the way that the state is sharing data about the virus. The state data shows the number of daily cases in each county but does not show data on where the cases are occurring, in order to protect patient information.
The state also shares data on hospitalizations and how many people have recovered.
Uptick in coronavirus cases in Williamson
A recent uptick has occurred in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Williamson County after a couple of months of a lower rate of increase.
However, hundreds have also recovered from the virus.
Over the past week, coronavirus spread has increased to match the highest rate of increase since COVID-19 reached its height in Williamson County.
In 24 hours, there was an increased of 18 cases this week, while weeks prior cases increased in single digits, like 5 to 7 a day, for example.
More:As coronavirus numbers increase in Williamson, Franklin mayor concerned about complacency
"We are sitting at the highest level we have been at since our highest point," WCS Safety Director Mike Fletcher said.
"We had an uptick (in the county recently) probably because of Memorial Day and the activity we have had in the past week or so."
However, that still leaves the county at just a .1%+ spread of COVID-19, among the entire population of Williamson County, according to Fletcher, when just the number of active cases are factored.
Fletcher said much information, guidelines and recommendations change everyday.
"The struggle is we are waiting on the studies to be done and the data points to get high enough to make solid medical decisions," he said, such as more information about COVID-19 regarding immunity.
School board member Dan Cash passionately stated that children need to be in school.
"We have to do what we need to do, (to get children in school)," Cash said.
He also called for a special board meeting to discuss.
However, board chairman and 30-year board member Gary Anderson said it might be wise to wait.
"We have a highly skilled professional staff, who is working to develop the plan...Things are changing so rapidly everyday, and it's conflicting information everyday. School starts back in two months," Anderson said.
"Making a final decision too soon is not advised."
The final plan will be presented later this summer.
The school board meets for its monthly meeting on Monday.
Kerri Bartlett covers issues affecting children, families, education and government in Williamson County. She can be contacted at kbartlett@gannett.com, 615-308-8324 or @keb1414 on Twitter.