A letter sent to the Board of Education members this morning may help community members understand why our local legislators’ push-back against face masks and our governor’s “opt out” order have created more than just chaos. They have created a situation that is causing students and teachers to become ill, isolate, and miss class time far more than would be necessary if mask requirements and other protocols were in place for students in Knox County

It is almost as if our legislature and governor are setting schools up to fail. Would they really go to these lengths and endanger students all over Tennessee, just to give themselves something to “fix” prior to their elections this summer.

Dr. Cayce’s letter is here:

Dear Mr. Superintendent and Board

I was reviewing quarantining guidelines on the Knox County website and found the following document:

Releasing Cases & Contacts from Isolation & Quarantine

It includes a recent update on 08/13/21 that includes a quarantine exception for K – 12 classrooms. Indicating the update occurred after your last board meeting.  I included the exception from the document below:

In the K-12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3-6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) where:

• Both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting face masks; and

• Other K-12 school prevention strategies (such as universal and correct mask use, physical distancing, increased ventilation) were in place in the K-12 school setting.

Current policies on “parental choice” exclude KCS students from meeting this exception. This argument is purely partisan politics.

The exemption from quarantine conditions aligns with published research and real-life experiments on children imposed by different Education Boards. The North Carolina sponsored study shows universal masking is the key intervention.

ABC’s Final Report June 2021

You can achieve compliance with the quarantine exception by implementing universal masking and other preventative measures (some currently implemented and some not). I understand the governor’s EO; however, I dare him to do something about it. I am convinced a universal masking policy will stand up in the court of law and represents the key to keeping students in class, safely, where they can learn.

I believe the board should call an emergency meeting to discuss this updated guidance from the State Board of Health and provided by the Knox County Board of Health.  KCS currently ignores the guidance.

Masking only works if it is applied UNIVERSALLY.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Cayce, Ph.D.