Tennessee has issued rules for school districts that make teachers an essential staff so educators can be required to come paint even if they have been exposed to coronavirus.
Several school districts, abandoned to their own devices to create protocols on what to do when a user has been exposed, have recently passed policies that allow superintendents to designate certain workers as components of a “critical infrastructure.”
This designation allows educators to continue running if they have been exposed to the virus or are even living with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, as long as they are symptom free and wear a mask.
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Gov. Bill Lee said at a press conference Tuesday that he supports districts that adopt such policies.
“The resolution depends on the district and if they make that resolution, then we have given them a recommendation that they believe they will follow if they decide to make that resolution,” Lee said of data published through the fitness and education departments.
Once the school board or school district governance framework approves a policy that allows educators to be designated as essential, the district must notify the Tennessee Department of Education.
“Districts that choose to put the (critical infrastructure) technique into force for staff will need to take more steps to mitigate the COVID-19 threat and inform the TDH and the Tennessee Department of Education of this IQ designation,” commissioner Penny Schwinn and Public Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey wrote.In a letter to school districts received through The Tennessean on Tuesday.
School districts that implement this technique must adhere to the rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and require that all people, by adding grade 3 and higher, wear masks or masks, apply social distance, and prohibit massive school-sponsored meetings.
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The rules also state that teachers or school district staff who are in close contact with a user who tested positive for COVID-19 will have to be quarantined when they are not in school, according to the needs of the Department of Health and cdc.They also do not attend the school’s sports or extracurricular activities.
They will also need to be tested for COVID-19 within 4 days of close contact with a user who has tested positive.Once an instructor or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, the district’s segregation or quarantine policies take effect.
The rules also inspire districts to “review their leave policies respecting the isolation of workers or the quarantine required by COVID-19.”
Many educators worry about having to go to school if they are exposed or have to paint until they get sick.
J.C.Bowman, chief executive of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a Nashville-based nonpartisan teacher agreement, distrusted those policies before the state issued its rules and voted against a state mandate.
“Before adopting a policy that turns school workers into must-have workers,” decision makers deserve to put themselves in the place of our educators, with empathy and understanding for what they do every day,” Bowman said in an email to The Tennessean.”This understanding comes only from ‘living’ and living the genuine school environment and listening to our educators.We haven’t done it during this pandemic.”
Bowman claimed that educators are public servants, but also asked if such a designation would be accompanied by lower in case of ill health if they get sick, a threat premium or other benefits if teachers continue to paint despite exposure to the virus.
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When asked Tuesday about other protections for educators, Lee highlighted the state’s efforts to provide non-public protective appliances to educators across the state.
“That’s why we’ve worked very hard to create a matrix that provides particular recommendations to counties and network wishes in this county.He has strict protocols on what to do in cases,” Lee said.-Public protection devices will help ensure the protection of teachers.”
The governor said this reaction was mandatory “given the disruptive effects of COVID-19, quarantine and isolation on schooling and the provision of an essential item in schools.”
State officials say the wishes of Tennessee’s 140 school districts vary widely: some rural districts may already face excessive staff shortages and if too many teachers or staff are out of the classroom in peak districts, that may mean schools close.
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Meghan Mangrum covers Nashville for USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee.Contact her at [email protected] her on Twitter @memangrum.