Oak Ridge Today

Governor allows parents to opt children out of school mask mandates

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Bill Lee

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Monday signed an executive order that gives parents the ability to opt their children out of local mask mandates. Parents can opt out of local mask mandates enacted by either school boards or health boards. Some doctors quickly objected to the governor’s order, and legal objections and questions have already been raised.

The governor said districts will make the decisions that they believe are best for their schools, but parents “will have the ultimate decision-making for their individual child’s health and well-being.

“Right now, some of the greatest frustration is occurring in our K-12 schools, especially around the issue of mask mandates,” Lee said in the announcement of his order. “While local decision-making is important, individual decision-making by a parent on issues regarding the health and well-being of their child is the most important.

“No one cares about the health and well-being of a child more than a parent. I am signing an executive order today that allows parents to opt their children out of a school mask mandate if either a school board or health board enacts one over a district.”

Masks are currently required in three Oak Ridge schools where at least 20 COVID-19 cases have been reported: Jefferson Middle School, Robertsville Middle School, and Willow Brook Elementary School. Masks are optional in the other schools. It wasn’t immediately clear how the governor’s order would affect mask mandates at the three Oak Ridge schools.

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County COVID case rate returns to January level

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Anderson County reached 44.1 new cases per day on Sunday. That’s the highest level since near the end of the winter peak in January.

Three more hospitalizations and two more deaths have been reported in Anderson County in the past two weeks, according to data published by the Tennessee Department of Health.

The average positivity rate remains high, about 17 percent. World Health Organization guidelines have recommended a positivity rate below 5 percent. The positivity rate measures the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests each day.

A total of 9,500 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Anderson County since the start of the pandemic on March 20, 2020. More than 10 percent of the county has been infected. There have been 237 hospitalizations and 181 deaths.

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More than 100 COVID cases in schools this year, most mild. Four staff members hospitalized during pandemic.

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This chart by Oak Ridge Schools shows the total and current number of COVID-19 cases by school and by student or staff on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021.

There have been more than 100 COVID-19 cases among students and staff members this school year, with most reporting mild symptoms, and a total of four staff hospitalizations reported since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oak Ridge Schools said Monday.

There have been no student or staff fatalities since the pandemic began, the school system said.

Monday morning, there were more than 200 students who were restricted from attending school. There were 109 cases of COVID among students and staff members on Monday evening, mostly among students. The largest number of COVID-19 cases is now at Robertsville Middle School. Until Friday, it had been at Willow Brook Elementary School.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said the source of exposure to COVID-19 varies.

“A high percentage of students are unable to identify the source of exposure, while others feel the source was a family member, family gathering, or friend,” Borchers said in a response to questions Monday.

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Masks will be required at JMS, RMS

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This graph shows the total number of COVID-19 in Oak Ridge Schools between Wednesday, Aug. 4, and Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Twenty-one new cases were reported Friday. The number of cases this fiscal year increased 10 times in nine days, from nine to 90. Total cases include both current cases and recovered, and they include both student and staff cases. (Data from Oak Ridge Schools/Chart by Oak Ridge Today using Flourish)

Face masks will be required at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools starting Monday as they each reported at least seven new COVID-19 cases since Thursday, and 21 new cases were reported in all Oak Ridge schools, including among students and staff members. Eighty-one new cases have been reported in the past 1.5 weeks.

There are now three Oak Ridge schools that require face masks: Jefferson Middle School, Robertsville Middle School, and Willow Brook Elementary School. Willow Brook, which had the first outbreak of COVID-19 cases, required face masks starting this past Monday.

Willow Brook still has the largest number of cases: 27. Nineteen of those are current student cases, and one is a current staff case. Willow Brook reported four new cases between Thursday and Friday.

Robertsville has the second-largest number of cases: 24. Twenty of those are current student cases, and one is a current staff case. Robertsville reported seven new cases between Thursday and Friday.

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Roane State announces winner of annual adjunct faculty teaching excellence award

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Roane State Community College English instructor Wendy Bennett is the recipient of the college’s annual award for teaching excellence by an adjunct faculty member. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College English instructor Wendy Bennett is the recipient of the college’s annual award for teaching excellence by an adjunct faculty member.

The announcement that Bennett won the Clyde James “Jim” Dunigan Adjunct Faculty Award was made during fall convocation on Wednesday, August 11, a press release said. The event was held on the Roane County campus and streamed live online.

Originally titled the Adjunct Faculty Award, the honor was renamed for Dunigan, who was the first recipient of the accolade. He taught as an adjunct from Spring 1989 to Spring 2016. He died in June 2016.

His widow, Flory Dunigan, an advisory member of the Roane State Foundation, presented Bennett with the award, which includes a plaque and $250. Finalists Martha Trisler, Scott Jamison, and Debby Sexton received $150 checks, also courtesy of the Roane State Foundation.

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ESPN writer to speak at benefit for AC Middle College students at Roane State

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ESPN Senior Writer Chris Low will be the featured speaker at a September luncheon to benefit Anderson County Middle College students attending Roane State Community College.

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Roane State Community College Foundation and Anderson County Schools to host the luncheon. It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, September 15, at The Hollingsworth Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, also known as Junior Achievement of East Tennessee, at 2135 North Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. Individual tickets are $30, and tables of 8 are $250, a press release said. Tickets are available at https://tinyurl.com/RSCCMiddle.

Low has been covering college sports for more than 34 years, a press release said. Before he joined ESPN in 2007, Low worked at The Tennessean in Nashville for 10 years covering University of Tennessee athletics. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Low was born in St. Charles, Missouri, and he grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He lives in Knoxville will his wife Julie, and they have three sons, Josh, Adam, and Sean.

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69 COVID cases reported in Oak Ridge Schools

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This graph shows the total number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools between Wednesday, Aug. 4, and Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. The number of cases this fiscal year increased more than seven times in eight days, from nine to 69. Total cases include both current cases and recovered, and they include both student and staff cases. (Data from Oak Ridge Schools/Chart by Oak Ridge Today using Flourish)

Sixty-nine cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Oak Ridge Schools this fiscal year. Sixty of those cases have been reported in the past eight days, since Wednesday, August 4. Two dozen cases were reported in the past two days. Students have been back in school about two weeks.

Three schools have had more than 10 cases each, and one, Willow Brook Elementary School, has had more than 20. Willow Brook is the only school where face masks are required.

The largest number of cases is at Willow Brook, where 23 COVID cases have been reported. Some are no longer considered current. Current cases include 16 student infections and two staff member infections.

Robertsville Middle School has had the second-highest number of cases with 17 total. Thirteen are current student cases, and one is a current staff case.

Jefferson Middle School has the third-largest number of cases with 11 total. Ten of those are current student cases.

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Anderson County Democratic Party to elect new leaders at convention

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The Anderson County Democratic Party will hold a Biennial Reorganization Convention to elect new leaders on Saturday, August 21.

The meeting will take place at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Doors open for registration at 1 p.m. The convention will start promptly at 2 p.m.

Local Democrats will elect a chair, vice chairs, secretary, treasurer, and executive committee members from all areas of the county for a two-year term, the press release said.

“All Democrats who are residents of and who are registered voters of Anderson County are urged to attend to discuss the party’s agenda and events for 2021-2022,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Secret City Crossfit celebrates ribbon-cutting ceremony

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, for Secret City Crossfit, located at 2388 Brisbane Road. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, August 6, for Secret City Crossfit, located at 2388 Brisbane Road.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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COVID cases quintuple in schools in one week

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This graph shows the total number of COVID-19 in Oak Ridge Schools by school between Wednesday, Aug. 4, and Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Schools not shown have reported no COVID cases. The number of cases in the school system quintupled in one week. There were nine total cases in the schools on Wednesday, Aug. 4, and five times as many, 45, on Tuesday, Aug. 10. Total cases include both current cases and recovered, and they include both student and staff cases. (Data published by Oak Ridge Schools/Chart by Oak Ridge Today using Flourish)

The number of COVID-19 cases quintupled in one week in Oak Ridge Schools. There were nine total cases in the schools on Wednesday, August 4. There were five times as many, 45, on Tuesday, August 10. Total cases include both current cases and recovered, and they include both student and staff cases.

Almost half of the school system’s total cases, 20, have been at Willow Brook Elementary School. Sixteen of those are considered current cases. Face masks are now required at Willow Brook. That change went into effect on Monday.

The next largest group of cases, 11, has been at Robertsville Middle School. Ten of those are current. No change in the face mask policy has been announced at Robertsville. With the exception of Willow Brook, face masks are optional in Oak Ridge Schools this school year after being required last year.

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City wants to replace 74-year-old water line that failed nine times

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West Outer Drive Water Main Break
A water main break along West Outer Drive is pictured above in August 2015.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department wants to replace a critical 74-year-old water line along West Outer Drive that has failed nine times since 2014.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a contract this evening for engineering services to replace the 14-inch cast iron water line between North Illinois Avenue and Wellington Circle. The contract for engineering services with LDA Engineering would be worth up to $120,000.

The city said the water line was installed around 1947. It is about 2,800 feet long and about three feet behind the curb on the north side of West Outer Drive.

“This section of waterline that Public Works proposes to replace has proven to be very unreliable,” Oak Ridge City Engineer Roger Flynn told City Manager Mark Watson in a memo on Monday.

The city staff found one failure in 2014 and eight more since 2018. The failures have been between 648 and 740 West Outer Drive.

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Park Board work plan includes swimming pool, greenways, rails to trails

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is scheduled to discuss its work plan on Thursday, and agenda items include the Oak Ridge Swimming Pool; the greenway system, including the Rails to Trails Project; and the position and policy about E-Bikes.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 12, in the Oak Ridge Recreation Center Social Room.