Photo: Dr. Bryan Johnson, Hamilton County Schools Superintendent
Photo Credit: Hamilton County Schools / YouTube
Published August 13, 2021
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
On Wednesday, August 11th, Hamilton County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Bryan Johnson announced masks will be required for all Hamilton County schools faculty and staff starting yesterday, August 12th.
Starting on Monday, August 16th, Johnson said “Students will be required to wear face coverings indoors with parents and guardians having the option to opt their children out of face coverings via an opt-out form that will be available Friday on Powerschool Parent Portal.”
Link to Portal: powerschool.hcde.org
Johnson said, “As a parent of a Hamilton County student, I know firsthand how challenging this news can be for some to hear.”
Johnson stated that as the pandemic has reignited, recommendations from the CDC, health department and local physicians have all been to require students and employees to wear masks in school.
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“Face coverings have become a widely debated, overly political topic,” Johnson said.
He went on to say that the school system has always deferred to “medical expertise and evidence” for their decision-making and will continue to do so.
Johnson said the district has “been committed to ensuring that schools remain open and students remain in classrooms to continue learning and feel this is the best plan forward to accomplish that goal.”
Bryan touted the “mitigation strategies” the district employed last year that “kept us in school ninety percent of the time last year and afforded us an opportunity as a district to move past the state in academic achievement in 24 of 28 areas to include third-grade literacy in the midst of a pandemic.”
Johnson stated that the school district will release a comprehensive document “Reentry 2.0” that will outline additional operational guidance.
Johnson said, “We do hope this is not a long-term pivot” and went on to state that the School Board, the Reopening Taskforce, medical professionals and district leadership will continue to monitor the situation in the coming weeks and will adjust as necessary.
About the Author:
Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative
Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
