Nashville, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW)- The Tennessee Department of Education released additional guidelines on Monday, June 15,  to provide school district leaders guidance and checklists as they plan the future of the 2020-2021 school year.

School Nutrition, transportation, special populations, finance and implementation guides were released as part of school kits to assist the districts.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System continues to work diligently to create a plan for the 2020-2021 school year.

The CMCSS School Board approved a first half day on August 11 for a “soft opening” with an additional half day on August 12.

“CMCSS leadership is working towards a goal of sharing more with stakeholders about the reopening plan next week,” said Anthony Johnson, Chief Information Officer for CMCSS. “The CMCSS Communicable Disease Team is continuing to review the latest guidance, data, and research as it prepares a strategic plan for a continuum of options: traditional (in-person) classes, virtual instructional delivery, and hybrid approaches. These plans will ensure that the district is prepared to continue providing a high-quality education for all students no matter the circumstances.”

An essential consideration as CMCSS develops reopening plans is to provide students and parents/guardians with options as there are varying degrees of comfortability and underlying health conditions amongst stakeholders in regards to returning to in-person settings during the pandemic, Johnson said.

The district has over 3,300 students with immunodeficiencies and around 500 employees over the age of 60. The most recent survey results show that, based on current conditions, around 54 percent of parents/guardians and 60 percent of employees prefer returning to a traditional, in-person setting in the fall.

“We are engaging stakeholder feedback and will continue to do so throughout the summer,” Johnson said.

Some of the guidelines the TDOE asked school districts to take into consideration are as follows:

  • Transportation: Bus stop protocol, bus ride protocols including assigned seats, spacing and cleaning, air circulation and hygeiene.
  •  Nutrition: Closing out the Seamless Summer Operation (SSO), communicating with families about meal benefits, conducting inventory, planning for future school closures.
  •  Special Populations: developing communication plans for teachers, parents, and students, addressing staff needs and impact of COVID-19 on each population and more.
  • Finance: Submitting budget and final expenditure reports, tracking expenditures for COVID-19 response, looking for grant opportunities and more.

To read the additional guidelines in their entirety visit the Tennessee Department of Education.