The communities of Knoxville and Knox County, Tennessee are very concerned for the safety and well-being of our students, teachers, school faculty members, and the families who reside here. Our community has recently seen an alarming increase in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the COVID-19 virus. We ask that Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas, the Knox County School Board, and the Knox County Health Department postpone the start of in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year until after Labor Day to allow time to manage the rapid and daily increase of cases.

The Coronavirus is life-threatening and can have severe detriments to the health and livelihoods of our students, teachers, faculty members, and families. Additionally, many families need more time to review the recently released school reopening plans and decide what is best for them. A hybrid model of in-person and online instruction is also an option that should be further explored as a possibility for the fall semester.

If in-person instruction is not delayed until at least Labor Day, our community will suffer, and children and educators will very likely lose their lives. We urge you to put lives first, and delay in-person instruction.