News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
With final numbers being tallied, it appears roughly 90 percent of Putnam County parents will send their children to school in less than ten days.
“I think people are just eager to be back in school, to be back in person with their teachers,” Director Of Schools Corby King said. “I know that our teachers are excited and ready to be back.”
King said about 60 percent of parents across the system responded to the system’s request to educate in-person or digitally. The school’s reopening plan gave parents and students the chance to make a change to their original choice during the first few weeks of school.
Parents had until 5:00pm Thursday to make a decision.
With active COVID cases approaching 400 in Putnam County, King said he understands the concerns of parents.
“We see a little bit of an uptick within our community, people are watching that and the number of active cases that are growing,” King said. “I sense a growing concern within the community and that may change some some minds of folks. But so far, it’s not reflected in the number and the responses that we’ve seen.”
King said he wanted to set the deadline in enough time so that the school team could assign students to rosters and make preparations for the online components.
The system changed its original ruling allowing students who attend online to participate in athletics might have changed some minds, King said.
Unlike the spring work when COVID shuttered schools, students who attend school online will be graded, with start and end times set. They will interact with teachers and be part of class. Both parents and students have been briefed on the requirements.
