Montgomery County lower-grade students return Jan. 25, older students to stay remote

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Traditional students in grades Pre-K through sixth will return to in-person classes on Monday, Jan. 25, according to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. But students in seventh through 12th grade will stay remote until further notice.

“As we shared before Winter Break, the district has a contingency plan for a prioritized return to in-person learning for our youngest students,” CMCSS said in an announcement on Sunday.

Upper-grade students in special populations who have self-contained classrooms will be contacted by CMCSS in the next week.

“On average, there have been around 300 more students per grade level impacted by COVID-19 cases in the district’s upper grades than lower grades,” the announcement said. “CMCSS is prioritizing an in-person return for younger students and those in self-contained classrooms due to the greater difficulty distance learning poses for these students, the lower transmission rates among younger children, and the greater childcare burden placed on families with younger children. The district is hopeful this phased approach will help address staffing issues due to COVID-19 related leave and the substitute shortage that are expected to continue as the pandemic still exists.”

CMCSS reiterated the need for all families to have plans in place for a sudden switch to remote learning.

“Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, families should always have plans in the event that school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place. Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Health’s requirements for contact tracing and quarantines are still in place. Therefore, families should have plans in the event a child must transition to remote learning due to being a close contact to a positive case.”

Teachers and employees will start getting COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks, and that may create another need to go to remote learning to speed up the vaccination process, the announcement said.

Schools are closed Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Classes resume on Tuesday, with traditional students continuing to learn remotely.