The Tennessee Department of Education says it will allow districts to temporarily transition a classroom or school from in-person to remote instruction under certain circumstances.

On August 27, TDOE Commissioner Penny Schwinn emailed school superintendents to let them know of the change. The letter included a waiver application that districts will need to submit. If the waiver is approved by the State, remote instruction can begin at a particular school. 

WCS only plans to use this tool on a limited basis when a school might have staffing-related issues due to COVID.

• Do not come to school if you are sick or if you have been exposed to a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
• Masks are required for students, staff and visitors at all grade levels inside all buildings and on buses until January 19, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. unless there is an opt out/mask exemption on file with the school. Teachers who are distanced six feet or more may remove their masks. 
• WCS Illness Guidelines have been updated. 
• Continue good hand washing practices. Hand sanitizer is secondary to soap and water but will be available at all schools.
• High touch surfaces will be cleaned as a standard aspect of the custodial services operations.
• View a complete list of Mitigation Strategies.
• Complete the student face covering opt out form and submit it to the Principal/Designee at your student’s school for approval. If a student mask exemption form is already on file with the school, there is no need to complete an additional opt out/mask exemption form.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 84 which was signed August 16, 2021, allows for mask opt outs for students. Per Executive Order 84, Williamson County Schools students may opt out of wearing masks no matter the reason. Executive Order 84 allows a parent or guardian to provide a written opt out for their child if the local School Board voted to require masks for students. The Williamson County Board of Education voted to require masks for students, staff and visitors at all grade levels, with an expiration date of January 19 at 11:59 p.m.

Masks are still required for teachers, staff and visitors who are not mentioned in the Executive Order. However, teachers who are distanced six feet or more may remove their masks. Volunteers working with students are expected to wear masks at all times.

Students with an opt out will not be required to wear masks at school, on a school bus or at school functions. However, masks remain strongly recommended and advised for all students. WCS Illness Guidelines are posted on the district’s website.

If a student mask exemption form is already on file with the school, there is no need to complete an additional opt out/mask exemption form.

• The district will follow Board Policy 6.403 “Student Communicable Diseases.”
• Positive case individuals with COVID-19 will be excluded from school per board policy.  They can return when the health department or healthcare provider determines that it is safe for them to return.  (Note required)
• Official quarantines are the responsibility of the local health department.
• Individuals who are fully vaccinated will not have to quarantine if they are determined to be a close contact of a positive case by the health department.
• A notice will be sent by the school to those individuals/parents/guardians at risk of exposure when two or more linked cases have been reported to the school in a classroom or group.
• Families should communicate directly to their school attendance office when their child is going to be absent. Teachers will work to meet the instructional needs of their students and decide as an instructional team which method is most appropriate for the lesson(s) missed when a student is out for an extended excused absence or due to quarantine. This may include assignments through Schoology, video resources, or utilization of Zoom.

• The seating capacity in stadiums, gymnasiums, auditoriums, and classrooms will be based on the facilities’ original design capacities.  Spectator attendance and class size will not be reduced. 
• As always, WCS will be subject to TSSAA rules for sporting events.

Health and Wellness Guidelines continue to evolve. Guideline adjustments are being made based on the current status of the COVID-19 virus and other communicable diseases in Williamson County, knowledge gained over the past year, and the percentage of individuals who have been eligible to receive and who have received vaccinations in Williamson County. WCS will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in our community and will constantly review the data to see if any adjustments to protocols and guidelines are warranted during the school year.

Update November 16, 2021

The Williamson County Board of Education voted Monday night, November 15, to remove the existing mask mandate in place in Williamson County Schools.

Very low positive case numbers, availability of vaccination and other mitigation strategies have helped us get to this point.

That means beginning Tuesday, November 16, masks are no longer required for students, staff, volunteers and visitors.

Students, employees, volunteers and visitors who want to continue to wear a mask are welcome to do so.

We remain committed to supporting and accommodating any student with a disability making him/her more vulnerable to COVID, and will address those through an interactive process with parents. If your child needs an additional accommodation, please contact your school principal.

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has taken action over the weekend which changes the mask-wearing expectation in WCS.

Contrary to Friday’s email, masks are required in Williamson County Schools effective immediately.   

In an order issued Sunday, November 14, 2021, U.S. Middle District Court Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. ordered all parties in a federal lawsuit challenging the new State law to maintain the status quo of Thursday, November 11, 2021, which was the day before Governor Lee signed the bill into law.

A hearing in the suit is scheduled for Monday afternoon, but the status quo must remain in place prior to that time.

Again, the mask requirement for students, staff, volunteers and visitors in Williamson County Schools is effective immediately.

As you may know, the Tennessee State Legislature met in special session late last month and passed legislation that eliminates our mask requirement based on the number of positive cases in our community. The Governor signed the legislation into law late today. You may also recall that we were under a federal court order to require masks. While that case remains active, the terms of the current temporary order do not conflict with us following this new State law.

Effective immediately, the mask requirement is no longer applicable for students, staff, volunteers and visitors in Williamson County Schools.

As shown on the district website, active COVID-19 case numbers in our school communities are substantially lower than what we were experiencing earlier in the school year.  As of Friday, November 12, we have 74 reported COVID cases among students and 14 among staff.  There are no reported student cases in 23 of our 49 school sites. There are no reported staff cases in 40 of our schools.

Students, employees, volunteers or visitors who want to continue to wear a mask are welcome to do so. If your child needs an additional accommodation, please email your school principal.

Late Tuesday afternoon, October 5, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee extended its order pending a ruling on the preliminary injunction hearing that is ongoing. The current ruling will remain in effect until a further order of the Court.   At this point, we do not know the exact time frame of when we will receive that further order, but we will notify you when we do.  

This means that at this time, WCS will continue to follow the Court’s Temporary Restraining Order issued on Friday, September 24, enjoining Governor Bill Lee from enforcing Executive Order 84, which allowed parents to opt out of the Williamson County Board of Education’s mask mandate on a purely voluntary basis, and ordering WCS to enforce its mandate without exception for the voluntary opt out.

If your child has previously been granted a religious or medical exemption, those exemptions will continue to be honored. The same applies to staff. Please consult with your school nurse if you have any questions related to your child’s health.

If your child has been excused from wearing a mask due to the voluntary parental opt-outs that have been granted under Executive Order 84, your child will continue to be required to wear a face covering to school. The same pertains to staff and volunteers.

Again, we will share any new information with you when it becomes available.  

Update September 25, 2021

Effective immediately

On Friday afternoon, September 24, in regard to a lawsuit filed against the State of Tennessee, Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee issued a Temporary Restraining Order enjoining Governor Bill Lee from enforcing Executive Order 84, which allowed parents to opt out of the Williamson County Board of Education’s mask mandate on a purely voluntary basis.  The Court also ordered the district to enforce its mask mandate without allowing voluntary parental opt-outs such as those allowed under Executive Order 84.   The Court found that to do otherwise would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, stating that a universal mask mandate is a reasonable accommodation required to allow disabled students access to Williamson County Schools.   

If your child has previously been granted a religious or medical exemption, those exemptions will continue to be honored. The same applies to staff. Please consult with your school nurse if you have any questions related to your child’s health.

If your child has been excused from wearing a mask due to the voluntary parental opt-outs that have been granted under Executive Order 84, your child will be required to wear a face covering to school effective immediately. The same pertains to staff and volunteers.

Updated September 21, 2021

The Williamson County Board of Education voted to extend the temporary mask requirement for students, staff and visitors at all grade levels, inside all buildings and on buses, through January 19, 2022. The Board took this action at its regular meeting Monday, September 20, 2021.

Teachers/staff who are distanced six feet or more may remove their masks while indoors. Teachers/staff may also remove their masks during outside activities. Any essential volunteer working directly with a student is expected to wear a mask.

Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 84, signed August 16, allows students to opt-out of any mask requirement made by a school district. While there is an opt-out, WCS continues to strongly recommend, encourage and advise masking for all students, staff and visitors while inside a WCS school, WCS facility and the Central Office.

Principals will share any additional information with families specific to their school.

The Williamson County Board of Education met in a special session Thursday, August 26 and approved a temporary mask requirement for students, staff and visitors at the middle and high school grade levels inside all buildings and on buses. The requirement will begin on Tuesday, August 31 and will end on Tuesday, September 21 at 11:59 p.m. The requirement is already in place at the elementary grade levels.

Teachers/staff who are distanced six feet or more may remove their masks while indoors. Teachers/staff may also remove their masks during outside activities. Any essential volunteer working directly with a student is expected to wear a mask.

Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 84, signed August 16, allows students to opt-out of any mask requirement made by a school district. While there is an opt-out, WCS continues to strongly recommend, encourage and advise masking for all students, staff and visitors while inside a WCS school, WCS facility and the Central Office.

Principals will share information with families specific to their school.