Putnam School Calendar Could Be Impacted By COVID This Year

Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King fears the district could have to take days away from breaks due to COVID.

State rules made effective in July for schools do not allow remote learning as a COVID solution during district closures. That means if COVID days are needed, they would come from breaks or extending the school year.

“Right now, it is district wide, that’s what we’re looking at as our cases continue to climb,” King said. “Which we do expect and we anticipate them to continue to go up.”

Upper Cumberland school leaders have asked Representative Ryan Williams to speak with Governor Lee about issuing an executive order that allows for a number of school days to be allotted for remote learning. King said that without any state level changes the system would look towards closing classrooms, grades and individual schools before committing to a district wide closure.

“The only thing we can do is use stockpile days, well if we use all of our stockpile days, which we tend to do in this area or at least a majority of them,” King said. “If we use all of our stockpile days and we exceed those then we have to make that time up somewhere during the school year. Which ends up either taking from breaks or adding days on at the end.”

State leaders are upset at several systems, including Nashville and Memphis, that spent most of last year in virtual learning.

King said that staffing and substitute teacher availability will play a large part in any closures.

“If we’re unable to fill the classrooms with subs to where it’s safe or not,” King said. “Or if it becomes an issue where it’s not because we can’t find enough and we have to close the district then at this time we would have to use some inclement weather days.”

Remote learning during COVID and even weather closures was an available option during last school year. That form of remote learning can be referred to as a continuous learning plan.