CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The waiver to opt out of the temporary mask requirement approved by the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board Tuesday evening will be sent to families and staff by email and text Thursday.
The requirement was passed with a 5-2 vote from the School Board after they heard two hours’ worth of comments from the public, and it is set to remain in effect until January, with monthly reviews.
The details
According to a communication sent to CMCSS families Wednesday evening from Chief Communications Officer Anthony Johnson, the form will be sent electronically to make the process easier.
“To streamline the mask requirement opt-out process for parents/guardians and minimize the paperwork burden on employees, the Technology Department will be sending an electronic form to parents/guardians via text and email,” Johnson said in the communication.
“Parents who do not want to opt out their child from the mask requirement will not need to complete the form,” Johnson continued.
The mask requirement for students and employees applies indoors in CMCSS facilities when physical distancing is not possible.
Additionally, the choice to opt out will remain on file in a student’s record through the remainder of the school year, and will be in effect for the entirety of the face mask requirement, the communication said.
For those who might have difficulty accessing the electronic form, Johnson said the district plans to send additional communication on how to submit the waiver.
The numbers
According to CMCSS’s COVID-19 self-reported dashboard, active COVID-19 student cases have fallen to 306 as of Sept. 15 from this school year’s peak of 882 on Sept. 2.
There are 2,213 students on exclusion or quarantine based on the dashboard, and 153 CMCSS staff members on COVID-related leave.
There are also 77 COVID-positive CMCSS staff members as of Sept. 15, and this number has also fallen from the school year’s peak of 133 reported on Sept. 7, according to the dashboard.