Knox County Schools will delay the start of school by one week and start Aug. 24.
The district announced the news in an email to families Tuesday evening.
"We want the very best start to this school year. In order for us to do that, we need to give our administrative team and staff an additional week to prepare," Thomas said in the email.
"After considering a variety of factors, I am delaying the start of school for students by one week. This means the first day of school, both in-person and virtual, will be delayed one week to Monday, Aug. 24. (Reminder, the first day of school is a half-day for students.)"
Thomas' announcement comes just shy of two weeks from when the first day of school would have been. The district's reopening plan was presented on July 15 and families had a week to decide between in-person learning and virtual learning. About 18,000 students chose the virtual option.
Families will not be able to switch their decision of learning model, district spokeswoman Carly Harrington said. If a student selected the virtual option, they are still committed to that for the semester. The fall sports schedule has also not changed.
Thomas said the plan will allow the district to complete class schedules, acquire more safety supplies and get devices to all students.
The district had previously told families that schedules would be released by Aug. 14, giving them a weekend between receiving schedules and starting school.
Last week, Gov. Bill Lee and state education commissioner Penny Schwinn said they wanted schools to start in-person at a press conference. They also announced they were providing safety kits to educators. The two largest districts in the state are starting school virtually, with Metro Nashville Public Schools starting Tuesday. Some of those students had trouble with the district's virtual learning.
The state is working on a way to share data with the public about COVID-19 cases in schools, Gov. Lee announced Tuesday evening.
All Knox County students will have a Chromebook laptop or tablet this year after the district used federal CARES Act funds to purchase the devices.
Thomas also said the district is looking to fill vacant spots for KCS virtual classes.
Teachers were given the option to take unpaid leave for the semester if they did not want to return to school.
"While our vacancies are reflective of where we usually are this time of year for in-person instruction, we must fill positions to cover some of our core classes that will be taught through the virtual learning program," Thomas said.
Thomas said the district is hiring new employees daily and the majority of existing teachers have already completed training on online platforms.
Teachers' first day official day back was Monday.
Thomas also said the decision allows staff to make contact with families of special education students.
Students with disabilities have individualized education plans where the school and family work to provide accommodations and services for the student. Like other parents, these parents had a week to decide if they wanted to do virtual learning or in-person learning.
"This school year won’t be easy, but we are determined to start school in the safest manner possible," Thomas said.
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Knox County Schools delays school start to Aug. 24 - Knoxville News Sentinel
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