KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Monday, teachers statewide originally planned to rally at the capitol. A state of emergency regarding COVID-19 precautions brought a halt to those plans.
"Today did look a little different because we are not supposed to gather in groups of more than 50 people," Knox County Education Association President Tanya Coats said.
She is currently in Nashville working to get information to teachers and to continue helping those recovering from the tornadoes that tore through Middle Tennessee two weeks earlier.
"We will still make it a day of action," she said. "These things are still important to us."
Two key issues they are calling attention to are higher funding for teachers and TNReady testing, which groups across the state are asking the governor to cancel for the remainder of the year.
Beth Brow, the president of the association, called for the cancellation in a statement as well.
"The Tennessee Education Association is calling on the Lee administration and the Tennessee General Assembly to cancel all TNReady testing and the portfolio evaluation system for this school year. There will be a significant loss of classroom time for students, and the continuity of instruction critical to building knowledge will be disrupted. Continuing with state high-stakes testing, or the time-consuming portfolio system used in Kindergarten and related arts, will only be setting our students and teachers up to fail."
Coats echoed much of the same.
"It won't be fair to our kids since they won't be in school and add a little more to what they already know," she said.
In a press conference on Monday, Gov. Lee touched on the subject when a reporter asked about students and teachers not feeling ready.
"There are a number of things that will have to be addressed: testing, assessments, minimum day requirements and funding," Lee said. "Those are all important issues that will have to be addressed and we are in the process of every one of those."
It is a move some states have already made. On Monday morning, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott waived the state's testing requirements for the year and urged the government to waive federal testing as well.
Coats said it is a necessary move for everyone's sake.
"We have a whole litany of people we worry about," she said. "The testing is the least of our worries."
While she applauds the governor's decision to urge schools to close, she adds the thought of testing could be a strain on both students and teachers.
"We don't want to add stress to our kids and their families for something we don't have the time to do," she said.
With at least 35 states closing schools nationwide, Coats said the main goal is to keep kids healthy and to help those who need it most.
"We just try to make sure we are helping each other," she said. "In this day and time, we just need to lend a hand instead of holding someone down."
The United States Department of Education also announced on Monday it would consider granting waivers to school systems that met its requirements.