In a letter to parents on Tuesday, Superintendent Bob Thomas said he will delay the start of Knox County Schools by one week. School will now start Monday, Aug. 24, with a half-day for students. Teachers have already reported.
Thomas said the delay will help teachers and staff prepare for reopening, particularly for those families who opted for virtual learning – some 18,000 of the district’s 60,000 students.
Read Thomas’s letter here.
Random thoughts:
- Luckily, Glenn Jacobs didn’t catch wind of this and demand a public hearing (like he’s doing for the Board of Health today (8/5).) Jacobs doesn’t like non-elected entities making policy, and especially without hearing from the public, even when it’s their job.
- Parents, teachers, kids and folks in general expect leaders to lead. So, Bob Thomas gets a hat tip for this decision. There’s a reason “life” comes first in the Declaration of Independence: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
- Out in Possum Holler some parents have created “learning pods” of 10 or so kids to be home-schooled together. I heard this and thought, “Wow. These parents are going to keep their kids safe.” Then I learned that the pods were organized by parents who didn’t want Junior to be inconvenienced by wearing a mask.
Sandra Clark is editor/CEO of Knox TN Today.