NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The state department of education is expected to complete its guidelines for reopening schools sometime in the next few weeks, according to Governor Bill Lee.
With school districts across the state reopening classroom for students to return in-person, the governor said it's up to the schools to make most of the decisions on how that process will work.
Teachers and teaching associations have voiced concerns about returning to class amid the pandemic.
Governor Lee said while a plan is in the works, it will vary by area.
Details about how school systems will handle an outbreak of COVID-19 inside classrooms were not ready Tuesday during a press conference with the governor. But, he said the state is taking the issue seriously.
The state will not supply testing for students or teachers who test positive.
"We are allowing districts to make decisions based on the situations on the ground in their individual districts and their community," said Lee.
The governor said that if there is an outbreak, the schools would have to gauge what response will be necessary.
"One of the things you will see happen is the approach will be to quarantine as few kids as possible and from a public health standpoint, make sure those kids at that school are safe," said Lee. "You might close a classroom, or a hallway, or a wing or a school, you might do that before you close a district. Those are the kinds of protocols that are being established right now."
Some schools may return to online class if the spread of COVID-19 becomes too much for the school systems.
