Oak Ridge Today

79 percent of students attending classes in person, 21 percent online-only

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Four out of five students in Oak Ridge Schools are attending classes in person at least two days per week, while one out of five have registered for an online-only option as the school system and families respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the enrollment numbers for all of the schools on Friday:

  • On-campus classes: 3,695 (about 79 percent of total enrollment)
  • The online-only option, ConnectOR: 963 (about 21 percent)

The school system was showing a total enrollment of 4,658 on Friday, but Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said it is too early to tell what the actual enrollment is.

“We should have a solid number in a couple of weeks,” he said.

It’s not clear how many families have selected a home school option during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school system offered two options for the new school year, which started Wednesday and Thursday, depending upon the school.

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Oak Ridge Schools staff member tests positive for COVID-19

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Oak Ridge High School
The main entrance at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m.

An Oak Ridge Schools staff member who has been at Jefferson Middle School and Oak Ridge High School has tested positive for COVID-19, the school system said Wednesday.

It’s the fifth overall COVID-19 case in Oak Ridge Schools and the fourth in the past two weeks, since July 15.

The schools learned of the positive test result for the staff member on Wednesday. The staff member, who has not been publicly identified, had been at JMS and ORHS last Friday.

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Oak Ridge Schools announce third COVID-19 case

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Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday announced a third COVID-19 case as schools prepare to resume this week.

A staff member at Jefferson Middle School has tested positive for the new disease, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to families and staff members.

The staff member, who will not be publicly identified, took a precautionary test, immediately started a voluntary quarantine, and learned of the positive test result Tuesday morning, Borchers said.

The superintendent’s letter did not say whether the staff member has had symptoms of COVID-19.

It’s the third COVID-19 case at Oak Ridge Schools in the past two weeks. The other two cases were of an instructor and student at Oak Ridge High School band camp.

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Band camp student tests positive for COVID-19

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A student at the Oak Ridge High School band camp last week tested positive for COVID-19 this week, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to community members Wednesday.

The student learned of the positive test result Tuesday night. The student did not report any symptoms before learning of the diagnosis, Borchers said. But before learning of the positive test result this week, the student had been in contact with other students and staff members during band camp through Tuesday of last week, Borchers said.

The student’s positive test result this week follows a positive test result of a band camp instructor last week. Neither the student nor the instructor are being publicly identified.

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Updated: Oak Ridge Schools will have staggered classes at middle schools, high school

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Note: This story was updated at 2 p.m. July 24.

Oak Ridge Schools will now have staggered classes for students at its two middle schools and one high school. Those students will now attend classes two days per week and then have online classes the other three days.

Elementary school students will attend classes five days per week.

The new plan was unanimously approved by the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a 45-minute special meeting Thursday afternoon.

The plan had been presented to the school board by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

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ORHS band camp instructor tests positive for COVID-19

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Note: This story was updated at 5:45 p.m.

An instructor at the Oak Ridge High School band camp has tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to parents on Wednesday.

The band camp instructor, who worked with multiple students and staff members, had no symptoms before learning of the positive test result Wednesday morning, Borchers said.

The instructor, who isn’t being publicly identified, was immediately separated from the band camp and told to contact the appropriate county health department to report the diagnosis and ask for guidance, Borchers said.

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Oak Ridge Schools will now require masks when distance not possible

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After initially “strongly recommending” masks, students and staff members will now be required to wear face coverings in Oak Ridge Schools when physical distancing is not possible, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Thursday.

A school re-opening plan published Monday, after families and staff members were surveyed, said masks would be strongly recommended, but not required, when students can’t stay six feet apart to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students in regular classroom settings probably can’t stay six feet apart, the plan said.

Parents objected. Many said the mask recommendation wasn’t enough. They said they would contact school administrators to ask for mandatory face masks.

On Thursday, Borchers said the change to mandatory masks was made after a review of the “current situation.”

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Oak Ridge Schools to re-open July 29 with in-person, online options

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Oak Ridge Schools will re-open July 29 with in-person and online options.

The re-opening plan was announced Monday by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

The July 29 re-opening date is part of the 2020-2021 district calendar.

The re-opening plan was announced as the number of total and active COVID-19 cases has surged in Anderson County. The county added 39 new cases between Thursday and Monday, pushing the total to 144, and the number of active cases about doubled from 32 on Thursday to 63 on Monday.

In a recent survey, conducted before the surge in cases during the past four days, most Oak Ridge families—85 percent of those who responded—said they want the school system to return to “some semblance of normalcy with students participating in face-to-face instruction,” Borchers said.

Those who responded to the survey said their highest priorities while trying to bring students back to school safely are 1) regularly disinfecting common areas, 2) practicing social distancing, 3) providing temperature checks, 4) reducing non-essential visitors in the school, and 5) wearing masks as needed.

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Staff member volunteering at schools’ food distribution sites tests positive for COVID-19

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A staff member who has been volunteering at the Oak Ridge Schools’ food distribution sites has tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Monday.

As a result, the Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge Schools Preschool buildings will be closed for the remainder of this week, Borchers said in a message to staff members on Monday afternoon.

If you have been receiving meals at Oak Ridge High School, the school system recommends going to Robertsville Middle School to pick up meals. If you have been receiving meals at Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, the school system recommends going to Glenwood Elementary School to pick up meals. 

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Glenwood Elementary School staff member tests positive for COVID-19

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Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Note: This story was last updated at 2:55 p.m.

A staff member at Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge has tested positive for COVID-19. The case was reported to have been mild, and the employee has recovered, according to a letter sent to school staff members on Wednesday.

Staff members at the school were notified of the diagnosis on Wednesday morning.

“The individual reported having felt ill at the beginning of spring break, more than 14 days ago, and now reports to have completely recovered after a mild case of the virus,” the letter to staff said. “We have been told that the positive test results were actually reported to our colleague after recovery. We are unaware of anyone else who had contact with this staff member prior to diagnosis who has also shown symptoms by the time of this writing.”

The letter to staff was sent by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers. He said the building maintenance staff has thoroughly cleaned the Glenwood Elementary School building as well as every other school and facility in the Oak Ridge system.

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OR Schools will be closed through at least April 15

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Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m.

Oak Ridge Schools will be closed through at least April 15, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Tuesday.

Students were scheduled to retun to school next week after a two-week spring break that ends Friday. But Tennessee Governor Bill Lee had asked all school districts to close through at least Tuesday, March 31. It’s not clear if that statewide closure will be extended.

In the meantime, Borchers said Oak Ridge Schools intends to use 10 days that it has stockpiled for snow and emergencies to extend its closure through at least Tuesday, April 14. That means the earliest that students will return is Wednesday, April 15.

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Oak Ridge Schools closing

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Oak Ridge Schools are closing at the end of the day today (Monday, March 16) after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee asked all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible.

Oak Ridge school buildings will be closed, and there will be no extracurricular activities or practices.

The governor expects all schools to stay closed through at least Tuesday, March 31. Oak Ridge Schools are currently on spring break, and they could extend the break using 10 snow/emergency days. That means students might not return to school until Wednesday, April 15, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a recorded phone call to parents early Monday afternoon.

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