KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After almost half a year out of school, 60,000 Knox County Students went back to class Monday for a school year with coronavirus protocols and virtual accommodations that promises to challenge teachers, parents and virus contact tracers.
On the first day of classes, the district reported 12 cases of the coronavirus--10 staff members and two students--and 271 people in isolation or quarantine.
Most students, around 40,000, returned to traditional classrooms with socially-distanced desks, teachers with face masks and other coronavirus precautions.
About a third of Knox County students started virtual learning Monday using the district's one-to-one Chromebooks and tablets to connect with teachers live-streaming from their classrooms.
Mom Nita Sexton picked the virtual option for her third grader, Olivia. In an interview arranged by Knox County Schools representatives, Sexton said a consistent schedule and health concerns led her to choose online learning for her family.
"We just wanted some stability and we figured virtual was the best way to do that," she said. "I work full time and I can’t just break away to home-school, but I can assist her as needed throughout the day."
Sitting at a desk at the foot of her bed, Olivia logged on around 7:45 a.m.
By 8:45 a.m., students in her third grade class were still asking questions about the workings of the Microsoft Teams video platform the school uses for virtual communication.
Nina Sexton said her daughter's schedule still includes breaks and time for recess, an important factor in choosing online education.
But the virtual program does come with difficulties. Olivia is very social, her mom said, and interacting with peers is difficult when not in a physical classroom.
Olivia was initially hesitant to pick the virtual option for that reason, Nita Sexton said.
" I have to be intentional about finding her opportunities to be social and get that interaction," she said. "Now that she’s actually seeing it come to light, that’s helpful."
The virtual options did encounter difficulty at one school, where a teacher threw in the towel on technological problems and ended the first half-day after only 45 minutes.
Still, Monday afternoon, Knox County Schools tweeted "our reopening is off to a great start!" And parents like Nita Sexton were glad to see their children back to class.
"I'm so excited," she laughed. "I'm not going to lie."