{"id":338,"date":"2021-09-15T20:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T20:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stand.org\/tennessee\/?p=338"},"modified":"2022-09-21T20:41:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T20:41:30","slug":"alliance-letter-to-commissioner-schwinn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stand.org\/tennessee\/blog\/alliance-letter-to-commissioner-schwinn\/","title":{"rendered":"Alliance Letter to Commissioner Schwinn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Commissioner Schwinn,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We, the undersigned, as members of the Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education<\/a><\/strong>, believe that Tennessee must act with urgency to protect our children and their ability to attend school safely and in person. Our collective mission is to ensure that Tennessee\u2019s students thrive and succeed in every corner of the state and one of the key priorities in our shared policy agenda<\/a><\/strong> is to \u201caddress the impact of COVID-19 on student learning and well-being.\u201d We believe that we share that priority with the Tennessee Department of Education (the Department) as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted education for all Tennessee students, but it has hit our most vulnerable populations the hardest, including students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students learning English, and students with disabilities.1 There is clear evidence that the impact of the pandemic on children has been and will continue to be substantial, and the effects are likely to be detrimental to students\u2019 long-term academic success unless they are offered both effective and targeted strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe students are best served by in-person learning. However, this pandemic is surging to new heights, with the Tennessee Department of Health reporting that children represent nearly 40% of all positive cases in our state, and Tennessee has recently led the nation in pediatric COVID cases per 100,000.2  Far too many students and teachers across the state are missing school this fall, with more than 25 districts having closed due to the rising case numbers. Given the current state-mandated limits on virtual learning, when entire school districts close without additional options for learning, they are forced to halt instruction entirely for all students, including the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools in Tennessee learned valuable lessons about teaching students remotely when we made the pivot to virtual learning last year as well as procedures for mitigating the spread of the virus. We now have many more tools and strategies at our disposal, which must be fully allowed and utilized. Parents across the state, including parents we represent, are fearful of sending their children to school under the current protocols, and are frustrated by the lack of learning when schools are closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We appreciate the steps you have taken to address some of the challenges districts, schools, students, and families are currently facing. However, to further mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on student health and learning, we urge you to do the following<\/p>\n\n\n\n