NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville students and staff are back in the classroom after winter break and have been met with a large number of new COVID-19 cases and people quarantined.
Last week, the district reported the most cases among students and staff of the entire school year. The district said between January 10 and 16, 983 students tested positive and 742 were in quarantine or isolation. During the same week, 229 staff members tested positive and 117 were quarantined or isolated.
It is important to give a perspective of what the district is dealing with in its 163 schools. Among the district's nearly 83,000 enrolled students, 983 cases only amounts to less than 2% of the student body.
Despite talk of possibly changing the rules when it comes to masks at the board of education meeting last week, the mask requirement is still in place.
According to state law, no district is able to go fully virtual. They would need to get permission from the Tennessee Department of Education or close and use stockpile days.
