Metro Schools Surveying Parents On In-Person Vs. Virtual Classes

Parents of Metro Nashville Public Schools students will have a voice in whether their children return to in-person classes or remaining in virtual classes.

MNPS has sent parents a survey via email from Panorama Education, according to the district's website. The email reportedly includes the subject line "Family Decision Survey" and is asked to be completed by Tuesday, September 15.

"As Metro Schools continues to monitor COVID-19 trends in Davidson County, the district is preparing for students to return to face-to-face learning by asking parents and guardians to tell us if they want to continue virtually or come to schools in person," MNPS stated in a news release. "Classroom schedules and teacher assignments will be based on whether students will attend virtually or in person, and this may result in your student being assigned a new teacher or teachers to meet their needs."

Parents of MNPS students will be asked to follow the guidelines provided by the district listed below:

• You will need to complete a separate survey for each child enrolled in MNPS, with the exception of charter schools.
• You can fill out the survey on any computer, tablet, or smartphone with Internet access. A link to the survey is below.
• These decisions will be for the remainder of the school year so resources can be properly allocated to ensure fewer interruptions in learning.
• Families will be provided an opportunity in December to change their decision for the second semester, which will start in January of 2021.
• If we do not receive a response to the decision survey from you, we will assume your child will be attending in person. But please know that we are committed to continuing to provide a high-quality virtual curriculum with support for families who choose to remain in the virtual setting. 

Metro Schools' "phasing in" plan includes inviting a small population of students with exceptional needs back to school in September. Grades Pre-K to 2nd will return to in-person classes after the fall break.

The dates for each grade to return will be announced separately and depend on continued progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the Nashville Health Department reported a total of 26,827 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 141 new cases and 1,124 active cases, in Davidson County.

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