School leaders in Memphis announced Friday they’ll delay bringing students back into classrooms until February because of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Shelby County.
Shelby County Schools had planned to start reopening schools on Jan. 4 after teaching virtually throughout the first semester.
The state’s largest district now plans to reopen classrooms on Feb. 8 for elementary-age students and Feb. 22 for grades 6-12 as the second semester begins.
“We recognize the pandemic presents a growing set of challenges for all our principals, teachers, support staff, families and students,” Superintendent Joris Ray said in a statement. “During times like this, our faith can be tested, and it can be hard to imagine brighter days. But, I know we can get through this as we work together on behalf of our children.”
Ray has been under pressure from state leaders to reopen Memphis classrooms, most recently after White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that school buildings should be open during the pandemic. But Ray has stood firm and called for flexibility based on local spread of the virus. He previously said the plan to reopen schools in January was contingent on the local status of the public health crisis.
A survey of parents and students released by the district earlier this week showed little appetite for returning to Memphis classrooms. Less than a third of students were expected to return to buildings with the new year.
When buildings reopen, whether all teachers return to the classroom or not, educators will deliver instruction through a laptop or tablet screen. That means all students will still be learning online. With just 17 percent of teachers saying they’re willing to go back, the district approach makes it possible to at least plan a return to classrooms.
Shelby County currently has more than 53,000 coronavirus cases, with a seven-day average exceeding 450 new cases per day during the last two weeks, according to the local health department.
In recent days, Ray huddled individually with school board members on the matter. A news release said the board supports his decision amid an upward trend in cases.
“We know that our families were looking forward to our schools reopening and we understand the importance of returning to the classroom,” said Miska Clay Bibbs, the board’s chairwoman. “We hope our community recognizes that this decision has been made in the best interest of health and safety for our students and employees.”
All other school districts across Tennessee have at least partially reopened school buildings, though many have intermittently closed when COVID-19 has caused staffing shortages.
Originally posted on Chalkbeatby Marta W. Aldrich on December 11, 2020. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.