Nashville Will Not Reopen Schools In August, Students To Take Virtual Classes

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) withdrew its decision to open schools Aug. 4 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

MNPS announced in June learning facilities would reopen Aug. 4 and parents or guardians will have a choice of sending their children to school for in-person education or continuing their studies through remote or virtual learning. On Thursday, July 9, the school district decided against opening the institutions at all, and added all classes will begin virtually in August.

Dr. Adrienne Battle, MNPS Director of Schools, explained to families in a letter that they are trying to protect the health of not only their students and staff but also their families.

“In the interest of the health of our students, staff, and families, MNPS has made the difficult decision to start school Aug. 4 in an all-virtual environment through at least Labor Day,” she said.

Dr. Battle also pointed out because of the ongoing health crisis, the school year will commence totally virtually until “at least” Sept. 7, and added the risks to the safety and health of students and school staff are just too big at this moment.

“Please know that we have not made this decision lightly, as we all want to get back to the classroom environment as soon as possible,” Dr. Battle explained.

In a Facebook post, MNPS assured the virtual education programs will be significantly expanded. School officials revealed the district is hard at work so that every student would get learning devices. According to the social media post, the school officials' decision will ensure mask mandates, social distancing, and other preventive measures are in place to minimize the spread of coronavirus before thousands of staff and students return to school.

During a press conference Thursday, Nashville Mayor John Cooper revealed the city continues to experience a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. In the same press briefing, Metro Public Health reported the city has 688 new cases and eight fatalities.

Cooper also said the state of Tennessee saw a new single-day record on Wednesday, July 8, with almost 2,500 COVID-19 cases. Based on data provided by Johns Hopkins University, Tennessee now has over 55,980 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, of which 685 lost their lives.