Birx\u00a0declined to make a recommendation for Tennessee schools on Monday. Instead she said each county or school district should do what is right for its community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Each school district is going to have to look at this and because each county is different … we are essentially saying that each school district is going to have to understand public health,” Birx said. “If you can help the students, the teachers, the families the people with comorbidities and you\u2019re in that situation where your\u00a0caseload is dropping, your test positivity is falling, that is situation that we would like\u00a0to see to reopen schools.<\/p>\n

“The most important piece of this is to put the child in the center and then make those accommodations needed to ensure that those children have access to the health, nutrition, mental and emotional support that they receive\u00a0in\u00a0schools.”<\/p>\n

Some teachers agree that reopening schools should be left to local communities.<\/p>\n

“Our local school boards are best positioned to understand the particular needs of their community. They need the state to serve them, not the other way around, especially during this global pandemic,” read a statement released by the\u00a0Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville.<\/p>\n

The group acknowledges frustration with state leaders in a position paper also released Monday though, but executive director and CEO of the group, J.C. Bowman, doesn’t support events like Monday’s “die-in” though.<\/p>\n

“We agree the state\u2019s response for schools during COVID-19 has been inadequate at best.\u00a0 They have not provided districts, educators, or parents the assistance that we have needed, nor have they included us in the decision making process,” Bowman said in a statement.\u00a0“Most educators also know that gimmicks like this ‘die-in,’\u00a0do little to foster productive dialogue.\u00a0 In fact, we would argue they cost us much needed public support.”<\/p>\n

Bowman cautions teachers that such events could alienate community members and he istead urges educators to keep the emphasis on “the health and safety of our educators and students first and foremost.”<\/p>\n