Dear Knox County Board of Education and Superintendent Thomas,

We the undersigned parents, teachers and members of Knox County, the City of Knoxville and Town of Farragut communities ask that you adhere to the Tennessee Department of Health Guidelines regarding the management of COVID in our schools. As a community, we share the goal of keeping our kids healthy and safe, an especially challenging task given that COVID cases in Knox County are on the rise and the delta variant is highly transmissible.

On April 14, 2021, the Knox County Board of Education voted[1] to adhere to a reopening plan following the Tennessee Department of Health Guidelines[2] regarding the management of COVID in our schools. In choosing to follow the Tennessee Department of Health Guidelines, the Knox County Board of Education chose to center the expertise of medical professionals while recognizing the changing situation. In adopting this policy the Board built in flexibility to match the shifting times and potential for changes in COVID guidance. And most critically, the Board vote prioritized the health of our children, our teachers and the whole of our community.

Last updated on April 6, 2021, the Guidelines include:

-          Eligible students and staff should be vaccinated

-          Students diagnosed with COVID or exposed to individuals with COVID quarantine

-          Ill children or staff should stay at home

-          Consistent and correct use of facemasks

-          Practice social distancing

-          Not holding mass gatherings

Importantly, the Tennessee Department of Health Guidelines rely on guidance from Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in determining measures needed to protect our K-12 kids.  In recent days both the CDC[3] and the AAP[4] updated their guidance recommending universal masking for all teachers, students, staff and visitors to K-12 schools over two years in age and regardless of vaccination.

While we understand that most children recover from COVID infections, a growing body of research points to long-haul COVID-19 symptoms in children who had mild cases initially. Evidence from the first study of “long covid” in children suggests that more than half of children between the ages of 6 and 16 who contract the virus have at least one symptom lasting more than four months, with 43 percent impaired by these symptoms during daily activities.[5] 

We appreciate your leadership and work to keep our children safe. We urge you to abide by your April 14th vote and convey clear expectations to our community that honor The Tennessee Department of Health Guidelines for the 2021-22 school year following your August 4th Board meeting.  

Sincerely,

[1] https://destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=56697&mt=ALL&get_month=4&get_year=2021&dsp=ag&seq=596
[2] https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/School_Recommendations.pdf
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html
[4] https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927578/