All Metro Nashville Public Schools To Remain In Virtual Setting Due To Coronavirus Spread

From the Metro Nashville Public Schools:

January 15, 2021

Metro Schools will continue to hold all classes in the virtual environment after the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday due to the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 throughout Nashville and the state of Tennessee.

All district schools will remain in the virtual setting until the COVID-19 risk score drops below 7. As of Friday, that number – based on Metro’s transmission rate, 7-day average positivity rate and 7-day average of new cases per 100,000 residents – is at 8.6. The positivity rate and cases per 100,000 residents in particular are both critically high and need to drop significantly to make enough progress in the risk score to safely phase students back into the classroom.

MNPS will continue to monitor the city’s metrics daily and update the risk score to give families and staff an idea of when our community context will be safe enough to allow for in-person instruction. For those who may have symptoms or are looking to get a test, Metro’s community assessment centers will be open next week Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Student and Family Support

For the remainder of the school year, regardless of whether schools are open in person or virtually, no-cost breakfast and lunch meals will be available to all children 18 and under, and our virtual help centers for families needing tech support will be open at four MNPS high schools: Glencliff, Maplewood, Overton and Pearl-Cohn. Additionally, the YMCA is continuing to operate child care centers at no cost to MNPS families and essential workers.

Vaccines

Finally, the city and state are distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals. K-12 teachers and staff will be eligible once the city moves into phase 1b of the distribution. Right now they are in phase 1a2, with a large waiting list of residents seeking to receive the vaccine. As of Thursday, fewer than 25,000 out of nearly 700,000 Davidson County residents have been vaccinated.

The district continues to work with health officials on vaccine distribution plans for staff and will release them as more information becomes available. You also can receive updates and sign up for the vaccine waiting list at covid19.nashville.gov.

This press release was produced by the Metro Nashville Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.