A new class in piloting small unmanned aircraft, better known as drones, will take flight this spring at Roane State Community College.
The three credit-hour class – AERO 1030 W01 – will prepare students to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 Remote Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge test to obtain FAA certification, a press release said.
Matt Waters, associate professor of mass communications, is the instructor for the 15-week class, which will be offered completely online, the press release said.
More than 700 school-aged children have tested positive for COVID-19 in Anderson County since the pandemic began March 20, and the growth in cases among children 5-18 years old is accelerating, according to state data.
It’s not clear what long-term effects, if any, COVID-19 might have on children.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
This chart by Oak Ridge Today shows COVID-19 cases among children 5-18 years old in Anderson County by month starting in August. Note: December is a partial month.
More than 700 school-aged children have tested positive for COVID-19 in Anderson County since the pandemic began March 20, and the growth in cases among children 5-18 years old is accelerating, according to state data.
It’s not clear what long-term effects COVID-19 might have on children. Anecdotally, in social media posts, some parents have discussed a continued loss of taste and smell among their children.
More than 700 school-aged children have tested positive for COVID-19 in Anderson County since the pandemic began March 20, and the growth in cases among children 5-18 years old is accelerating, according to state data.
It’s not clear what long-term effects, if any, COVID-19 might have on children.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
Roane State Community College in Harriman is pictured above. (Photo by Roane State)
Roane State will temporarily move to remote operations after winter break as part of the college’s efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Between January 4 and 8, RSCC campuses will be accessible only to essential personnel, a press release said. During this time, students and employees will still be served by email and phone as well as through virtual communication tools such as Zoom video conferencing.
“We have advised students, faculty, and staff to consider the latest CDC recommendations when making holiday plans this year,” Roane State President Chris Whaley explained. “This brief remote work period is an additional step we can take to keep our campus community healthy while still assisting students ahead of the spring semester.”
Anderson County is switching to online teaching starting Tuesday and canceling extracurricular activities because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and quarantines, among other considerations.
This graph shows COVID-19 cases reported by school week at the high school, two middle schools, and all other schools (four elementary schools, preschool, and Secret City Academy). (Graph by Oak Ridge Today).
More than 100 COVID-19 cases have been reported among students and staff members in Oak Ridge Schools since the school year began July 29.
Most of the cases, 94, have been reported among students, while 21 have been reported among staff members, according to the school system’s dashboard.
The Oak Ridge Schools dashboard, which was last updated Tuesday, showed 65 recovered cases of COVID-19 and 50 current. The school system does not report information about the outcomes of individual cases, but as of mid-November, all confirmed cases were reported to have been relatively mild.
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported by Oak Ridge Schools dropped significantly last week, but the number of new cases reported among staff members increased.
Roane State Community College’s new Food Pantry On-the-Go is addressing food insecurity among students during the pandemic. Following highly positive feedback from its initial effort, the mobile food pantry’s next event is set for Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at the Campbell County Campus in LaFollette. (Photo by Roane State)
Roane State Community College’s new Food Pantry On-the-Go is addressing food insecurity among students during the pandemic. Following highly positive feedback from its initial effort, the mobile food pantry’s next event is set for Wednesday, December 2, at the Campbell County Campus in LaFollette.
The event will be held in Room 101 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Roane State students from any of the college’s nine campuses will have the opportunity to shop—for free—for a wide variety of non-perishable and microwavable food items. Organizers hope the event will help students and their families stock up ahead of the winter break.
The first Food Pantry On-the-Go event was held in October at the Knox County Center for Health Sciences. These mobile events are the latest effort by the college to help students who may have food insecurity issues that have only increased due to COVID-19. Even prior to the pandemic, statistics showed that at least 40 percent of college students experienced some form of food insecurity.
This Monday and Tuesday (November 23 and 24) are virtual learning days for K-12 students in Oak Ridge Schools.
Teachers are providing instruction from their classrooms to students, who are learning remotely from home. Building principals were expected to share details with families.
In a letter to families, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said elementary school students now have electronic devices and can use this opportunity to participate in true virtual learning.
Preschool students are continuing with their current schedule this week and are meeting in person on Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24.
In a letter last week, Oak Ridge Schools officials asked people to wear masks, maintain physical distances from people who live outside their home, and wash their hands.
There has been a recent surge in COVID-19 cases among students and staff members in Oak Ridge Schools. The surge began after fall break, although it’s not clear if the two events are connected.
On Monday, the school system returned middle school students to alternating schedules as the number of students who have to be quarantined increases. High school students remain on the alternating schedules, and elementary and preschool students continue with classes five days per week.
In their letter, school officials said they were asking the community to do what the students and teachers are doing to stay healthy in order to maintain and increase educational and extracurricular activities.
“Wear your mask, social distance, wash your hands, and understand that activities you participate in outside of the school day can easily jeopardize our ability to continue in-person education,” the letter said.
As COVID-19 cases surge across the country, the university system is struggling to contain the spread of the disease and keep classes open. Sara Alert Academic is available now by subscription for university officials to securely automate the monitoring of students, faculty, and staff exposed to or infected with COVID-19 or any infectious disease, a press release said.
The software platform is tailored to the unique needs of universities and colleges, providing an automated workflow to allow health staff to rapidly prioritize and respond to student and staff needs. It customizes what a university will need to streamline the process, such as student identification, housing information, and tracking by university-specific areas, such as campus buildings or sports teams, the press release said.
“Sara Alert Academic provides secure infectious disease monitoring and reporting tailored specifically for universities,” said ORAU Vice President of Research and University Partnerships Ken Tobin. “It can help keep campuses operating safely through increased efficiency in tracking potential exposures and monitoring confirmed cases, leading to earlier containment and isolation, and reduction of burden on limited resources.”
A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020, and continuing through Tuesday, Nov. 10. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 16 started Wednesday, Nov. 11, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)
Thirty-six cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students and staff members in Oak Ridge Schools since Wednesday.
It’s a drastic increase in the number of cases reported among students and staff and triple the previous weekly high of 12. The highest number of cases in one day, 11, was reported Friday.
Fourteen of the COVID-19 cases since Wednesday have been reported at Robertsville Middle School (13 students and one staff member). Nine cases have been reported at Oak Ridge High School (all students), and seven have been reported at Jefferson Middle School (also all students).
During a longer period, the past 12 days, 47 cases have been reported in Oak Ridge Schools. During that time period, the highest numbers of cases have been reported at the two middle schools: 16 at RMS and 12 at JMS. The third-highest number of cases, 11, was reported at ORHS.
The increase in cases among middle school students, in particular, occurred after they returned to class five days per week on Monday, November 2. The most significant surge also started after Halloween. But it’s not clear if the events are connected. Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers has said about 80 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases have been exposed to the virus outside of school, according to information provided by parents.
A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 16 started Wednesday, Nov. 11, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge Schools reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a record high.
That’s almost as many cases reported in one day as has been reported in each of the previous two weeks. Twelve cases were reported in each of the last two weeks.
Twenty-three new cases have been reported since Wednesday, according to an Oak Ridge Today tally.
With the new cases, the school system has reported 56 cases of COVID-19 since October 21. The surge started after fall break, although it’s not clear if the two events are connected.
The new cases reported Friday included four students at Oak Ridge High School, three students at Jefferson Middle School, three students at Robertsville Middle School, and a staff member at Woodland Elementary School.
Recently, the most cases, 11, have been reported among Jefferson Middle School students. Those 11 cases were reported in nine days, since Thursday, November 5.
In that same time, the second-highest number of cases, nine, were reported among Robertsville Middle School students.
Starting Monday, middle school students who attend classes in person will return to the alternating schedules used earlier this year, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to families and staff members on Friday.
The transition back to alternating schedules is due to an increase in the number of students being quarantined, Borchers said. Quarantined students cannot attend school at all for face-to-face instruction, he said.
“We realized that bringing all middle school students together had the potential to increase the number of students we would be sending home to quarantine when a single peer tests positive for COVID-19,” Borchers said. “Due to the increase in the number of students being quarantined, it is our plan to transition back to the alternating A/B schedule effective Monday, November 16, 2020.”
Most students at the middle schools and high school had started the school year with staggered schedules. A minority of students selected an online-only option.
Using the staggered schedules, some students have attended classes on Mondays and Thursdays, and others have attended on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students have then had online classes the other three days.
