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Montgomery County students pre-K through 6th grade to return to in-person learning January 25

CMCSS
Posted at 12:34 PM, Jan 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-16 13:37:43-05

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Students of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) who are pre-K through sixth grade will return to in-person learning January 25.

This transition is part of the CMCSS plan for a prioritized return to in-person school for the district's youngest students.

Seventh- through twelfth-grade students will continue remote schooling for the time being. Schools will be reaching out next week to parents of seventh- through twelfth-grade students who are in special populations classrooms to notify them about a phased return to in-person learning.

CMCSS plans to share more information about the return to in-person learning for all students after evaluating the phased approach.

According to CMCSS, around 300 more students per grade level have been affected by COVID-19 in the district's upper grades, compared to the district's lower grades. Younger students and special population classrooms are getting priority for an in-person return based on a number of factors, including greater difficulty with distance learning for those students, lower transmission rates of COVID-19 among younger children and the more significant burden of childcare on the families with younger children.

CMCSS also believes the phased approach will help address staffing issues brought on by COVID-19-related leave.

While the district moves forward with returning students to classrooms, officials say families should still have plans for remote learning in the event their student must quarantine due to close contact or a school building must close.

Vaccines are likely to begin being distributed to CMCSS employees in upcoming weeks. In order to speed the process of vaccine distribution, it is possible that schools will temporarily close. CMCSS promises to notify families of students as these plans are put in place.