By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Questions from a private citizen prompted a lengthy discussion at Thursday evening’s Henry County Schools board of education meeting as to when the district would be able to return to full-time traditional learning in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Leland Jones said he is concerned at the idea of returning to traditional learning and maintaining safety for teachers and students. One of his concerns is how to follow social distancing guidelines in the school buildings. “How could we have that many students coming in to the schools and keep 6 feet apart?” he asked. “I just wanted to make sure you hear these concerns.”
Board President Jill Coker said she has received several calls from parents, both for and against, returning to the traditional school schedules. “It’s split right down the middle. I’d like to hear from (Director of Schools) Dr. Leah Watkins and hear her opinion on when we might be ready to return. Maybe we should set a goal.”
The local county district and community “are in a different place than we were the first of August,” Dr. Watkins said. “We saw a tremendous spike in COVID-19 at that time in the county. But we’re in a much better place now than we were in August and even in September.”
Dr. Watkins said, “I take my hats off to the kids and the teachers. They’ve had to relearn everything. This has been hard for everybody.” She distributed data on the COVID-19 impact locally for board members to look over.
Board Member Josh Frey said, “At some point we’re going to have to make the transition and bring the kids back to school and go back to traditional learning. We have to be cautious in the steps we take. We have to look at putting 1000 kids back into the system; we run the risk of spreading it (COVID-19) but at some point we are going to have to set a date. I think we still will need to keep the virtual option for parents who don’t want to send their kids back to school.”
“We’re in a terrible position as a board,“ Board Member Tom Beasley said, noting he has received calls from parents, too. “We just in a difficult position. We just have to say, ‘Sorry, we just don’t know yet’. We just need to listen to our experts in the school system.”
Coker said, “We also have to contend with staff shortages because of staff members under quarantine. That’s one thing people are not thinking about.”
“These are just impossible circumstances,” Dr. Watkins said. “Who would have thought a year ago we would encounter something like this? Everyone in this room wants kids back in the schools. The hard part is deciding when. We are seeing positive trends that bode well for our community. It can’t happen soon enough for me. The kids are ready to be back, the parents are ready to be rack. The teachers are ready to get back to normal. This has just been exhausting for them.”
Coker said, “Dr. Watkins is leading us on the right path and if we are patient we will get there together.”
Dr. Watkins thanked the parents attending the meeting. She also wished students and staff a safe Fall Break.
In other business:
–The board welcomed Student Representative Avery Wood, who is a senior at Henry County High School.
–The board approved a resolution of appreciation for the district maintenance department.
–The board heard an update on building projects, including the concession stand project.
Photo: Parent Leland Jones speaks to the school board. Photo by Susan Burton.