These Tennessee school districts are already reporting COVID-19 cases after reopening

Meghan Mangrum
Nashville Tennessean

Hours after Hamilton County Schools reopened for the first time since March, district officials announced that two schools would be closed for the rest of the week after reporting confirmed COVID-19 cases. 

The state's largest urban district to reopen since schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hamilton County isn't alone. 

Less than three weeks since the first school districts in Tennessee reopened to students, many are already closing their doors.

Nearly 109 school districts have started the school year as of Thursday, Aug. 13 — the majority of them in-person — and at least 97 confirmed COVID-19 cases connected to schools have already been reported.

Hundreds of students and teachers across the state are also being isolated or quarantined after potential exposure as well. 

At least 25 school districts, including Williamson County Schools, Coffee County Schools and Blount County Schools, have already closed schools or altered their schedules as a result of exposures to the virus.

Coronavirus exposure in schools

Coffee County Schools

Coffee County Schools announced Aug. 5 that two schools, Coffee County Middle and North Coffee, would be closed for the rest of the week due to "an abundance of caution over COVID-19," according to a post on the district's Facebook page.

By Aug. 7, the district announced that schools would switch to a hybrid schedule beginning Aug. 12, with students attending school in-person only two days a week because of "a trend in increasing cases," according to WSMV

The district had already announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case even before schools reopened on Monday. On July 31, Coffee County Schools announced that an employee had tested positive after they began working and preparing for the school year. 

Blount County Schools

Blount County Schools, which reopened July 29, announced on Aug. 4 that the district would switch to a staggered schedule starting Friday for the next two weeks

Just days after the district reopened, an individual at Carpenters Elementary School tested positive for the virus, according to an email from the school's principal obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Maryville City Schools

Maryville City Schools, a district also within Blount County, has reported two confirmed cases as of Aug. 4. A student tested positive at Coulter Grove Intermediate School and a staff member tested positive at John Sevier Elementary School, prompting a class of 16 students to be sent home to be quarantined for the next two weeks.

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Oak Ridge Schools

On July 28, Oak Ridge Schools announced that a staff member at Jefferson Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. The district began welcoming students back to school the next day as originally planned. Within a week, the district also announced a staff member at Oak Ridge High School had also tested positive for the virus.

By Sunday, Aug. 1, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers notified students and families of another employee who had tested positive at Oak Ridge High. As cases have mounted, the district is considering switching elementary students to a staggered schedule

Alcoa City Schools

Alcoa City Schools has reported at least five confirmed COVID-19 cases since the district reopened on July 22 — the earliest district in the state to do so.

On July 24, the district announced an individual had tested positive at Alcoa Middle School and just days later the district announced three confirmed cases at Alcoa High School and one at Alcoa Elementary School.

Williamson County Schools 

Though some Williamson County students were supposed to begin the school year on campus on Aug. 7, students at Chapman's Retreat Elementary in Spring Hill are participating in virtual learning until Aug. 17 instead after the school informed families on Aug. 6 that a front office staff worker tested positive for COVID-19.

Centennial High School's football team was also able to being practicing again on the same day after at least one potential COVID-19 case was reported. Most Williamson County students in grades 3-12 are learning remotely for the first few weeks of the school year. 

Greenville City Schools

At least nine Greeneville High School football players have tested positive for COVID-19 and another four high school athletes have tested positive for the virus according to school officials, WJHL reported on Aug. 6.

Greenville City Schools have not reopened in-person yet. Students started learning virtually on Aug. 5 and will continue learning remotely until at least Aug. 21. 

McKenzie Special School District

Just two days after students returned to class, McKenzie Special School District Director of Schools Lynn Watkins confirmed on Aug. 6 that a student at McKenzie High School in McKenzie had tested positive for COVID-19, WBBJ reported on Aug 6

Elizabethton City Schools

On Saturday, Aug. 8, Elizabethton City Schools officials sent a letter to parents whose children attend West Side Elementary School in Carter County, notifying them that an employee had tested positive for COVID-19, WJHL reports.

Principal John Wright said in the letter that all who might have had contact with the individual had been notified. Elizabethton City Schools reopened on a staggered schedule on Friday, Aug. 7 with most students planning to return on Monday, Aug. 10.

Lincoln County Schools

At least six people have tested positive for COVID-19 since Lincoln County Schools reopened on Aug. 3, according to WZDX.

By the end of the week, on Friday, Aug. 7, a student and a staff member at South Lincoln School were confirmed positive and on Saturday Aug. 8, Superintendent Bill Heath confirmed that a student and a staff member at Flintville School had also received positive test results. By August 11, WHNT News reported that a case each has also been reported at Lincoln's Highland Rim School and Blanche School.

Bradley County Schools

Just a day after Bradley County Schools near Chattanooga reopened to students, the district announced it had identified "positive cases within our schools" on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The district originally did not identify how many individuals had tested positive and if they are students, staff or both, but did acknowledge that contact tracing protocols are in place, according to a statement

On Monday, Aug. 10, the district reversed course and identified the four schools that had reported at least one positive case exposure: Bradley Central High and Park View, Taylor and Valley View elementary schools. The district also noted that individuals connected to Bradley Central's girls basketball team, the Bearettes, were among those who had tested positive. 

Putnam County Schools

More than 262 individuals in Putnam County have been quarantined since schools reopened on Aug. 3. The district has confirmed 31 individuals — the first being  a student at Cookeville High School tested — who have tested positive for COVID-19, as of Thursday, Aug. 13. 

Putnam County Schools tracks cases daily via a live, online dashboard. It also reports the number of individuals in isolation or quarantine. 

Rutherford County Schools

Christiana Middle School in Rutherford County started the year with distance learning until Aug. 24 after two employees tested positive for COVID-19 after the teachers didn't social distance as directed, according to the district.

The district also said on Aug. 11 that there had been potential coronavirus cases pertaining to faculty members at Smyrna Primary School and Buchanan Elementary as well. 

Lebanon Special School District 

On Aug. 12, approximately 100 sixth-grade students at Winfree-Bryant Middle School in Lebanon were shifted to distance learning for the next 14 days because of a positive COVID-19 test. The shift was prompted by a student who tested positive for the virus, Benson said.

Another 20 students at  Byars Dowdy Elementary were also shifted to virtual learning after a non-student or staff member who had visited the school tested positive for COVID-19.

The Lebanon Special School District started school on Monday with a hybrid model through at least Sept. 4.

Hamilton County Schools

In addition to the two cases reported after students' first day in Chattanooga on Aug. 12, the district was previously tracking 11 other active cases, according to a dashboard that Hamilton County Schools launched on Thursday, Aug. 13. A third school, Barger Academy, will also be closed out of caution on Friday, Aug. 14 after students who are awaiting COVID-19 test results attended school on Thursday.

An all-boys private school in Chattanooga, McCallie School announced on Aug. 9 that the football team had halted practices after at least 11 players tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Times Free Press

Cheatham County Schools

Football teams and other athletic teams have proven to be a hotspot for new cases. Cheatham County Schools announced on Aug. 11 that the entire football team had begun to quarantine after two confirmed COVID-19 cases within the program, according to News Channel 4

Kingsport City Schools

Of the first three cases reported in Kingsport City Schools on Aug. 10, one case was a student from Dobyns-Bennett High School and involved in basketball, who tested positive. At least one staff member each at Andrew Jackson Elementary and Washington Elementary have also tested positive, according to The Times News in Kingsport

Sullivan County Schools

Sullivan County's first three school-linked COVID-19 cases are also connected to athletic teams. On Aug. 6, the district announced that a "member of the Sullivan East High School volleyball community” had tested positive, after another adult case had been reported linked to the Sullivan North High football program.

A Sullivan South High School football program community member had also already tested positive, according to The Times News

Maury County Schools

Two schools, Whitthorne Middle School and Spring Hill School, in Maury County delayed reopening on Aug. 10. The district initially was moving only certain grades to remote learning, but reversed course after the initial announcement on Twitter. Whether the delays were linked to coronavirus cases was not confirmed. 

Tullahoma City Schools

Within a week of reopening on Aug. 3, Tullahoma City Schools notified parents at two schools, Robert E. Lee Elementary School and Tullahoma High School, of at least one positive case at each school. 

Manchester City Schools

A day after students began registering for the school year in Manchester, an an employee reported they had tested positive for COVID-19, the district announced on Aug. 4. 

Sumner County Schools

Eleven confirmed cases linked to ten schools have been reported as of Aug. 12 since Sumner County Schools reopened on a hybrid schedule on Aug. 3, the Hendersonville Standard reported

The schools with reported cases include: H.B. Williams Elementary, Walton Ferry Elementary, Howard Elementary, Beech High, Station Camp High, Hendersonville High, Knox Doss Middle School at Drakes Creek, Vena Stuart Elementary, Portland Gateview Elementary and Indian Lake Elementary schools. 

Confirmed cases prior to re-opening

The state's two largest school districts, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools, are both starting the school year virtually, but both districts have reported confirmed cases among staff members who attended in-person training.

Metro Nashville Public Schools announced on July 29 that two employees tested positive after attending a pre-planning session at Smith Springs Elementary School, according to Metro Schools spokesperson Sean Braisted. Eighteen other staff members who also attended the training session were advised to quarantine for two weeks.

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A teacher at a Memphis charter school also reported testing positive two days after attending a mandatory in-person training at Promise Academy, according to Chalkbeat Tennessee.

About 80% of Shelby County students will start the year online, but some suburban schools, charter schools and state-run schools plan to have a mix of online and in-person instruction, Chalkbeat reports.

Andrea Kennedy prepares to have a virtual class with her 7th grade students during the first day of school in Metro in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020

Tracking cases in schools

Gov. Bill Lee said that his administration is in the process of creating a plan that would allow schools to share information about the number of COVID-19 cases in their facilities.

The governor's comments come just days after officials with the state Department of Health and the Department of Education said the agencies would not ask for and collect data on the number of cases and deaths at each school.

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When Lee announced guidance for school reopenings last week, state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said Tennessee had no plans to provide the public with such data.

But the governor has since reversed course. 

"We’re developing a plan for reporting cases in schools," Lee said Tuesday. "I believe that we have to protect privacy but we also have to be transparent."

Reporters Joel Ebert and Isabel Lohman contributed to this story.

Meghan Mangrum covers education in Nashville for the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Contact her at mmangrum@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.