KCS seeks feedback on virtual option

Josh FloryOur Town Youth

In recent weeks, Knox County Schools has been gathering feedback about our reopening plan for the fall semester, and on July 15 Superintendent Bob Thomas will share the plan with the Board of Education.

The district’s goal is to return to an in-person school setting in the fall. We are continuing to closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 and to coordinate with the Knox County Health Department, the office of Gov. Bill Lee and other state and local leaders. But we believe that a return to classrooms will lead to the best academic outcomes, if we can do so while reasonably protecting the health and safety of our students and staff.

However, we recognize that, some families would not be comfortable with a return to school. As a result, we will have a virtual option for those students. We are still finalizing the details of this program, but for planning purposes and in order to make decisions about staffing and resources, we need to know how many parents would most likely utilize this virtual option.

With that in mind, we are asking KCS families who would most likely utilize the virtual school option – assuming that schools are reopened in the fall and based on the information available today – to complete an online survey by Tuesday, July 7.

Families who would not utilize a virtual option do not need to complete the survey.

This decision is not binding, but family responses will be extremely important to help the district plan for the future. When further details of the program are announced, families will be asked to enroll if interested.

“I’m grateful for the patience of our teachers, staff and families as we work through these complex decisions,” said Thomas. “Please know that we are committed to the work of teaching and learning while also protecting the well-being of our entire community.”

The survey is available at www.knoxschools.org/survey.

Josh Flory is a multi-media specialist with Knox County Schools and writes this blog, Hall Pass, for the KCS website.

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