COVID-19 in Clarksville: Schools enter 2022-23 with over 100 active student cases, 68 employee cases | ClarksvilleNow.com

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – As the new school year starts, so does another year of school employees contending with COVID-19 cases.

There are currently 105 active student cases, and 107 students are in quarantine, according to the CMCSS COVID information site. There are 68 employees with active cases, and 57 employees are on leave because of COVID-19.

Anthony Johnson, CMCSS spokesperson, said the district is prepared to address the pandemic as it has in years past, using the “Swiss cheese model” to tackle virus cases.

“The Swiss cheese model is a visual depiction of how a variety of strategies can work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infections,” Johnson said.

The idea is that while various strategies such as handwashing and mask use have “holes,” combining them increases the likelihood of prevention.

Question of vaccination

While most experts agree that vaccination is the best way to combat the virus, Johnson said the district will not be hosting any vaccine clinics or requiring that students take the shot.

“COVID-19 vaccines are not included in the Tennessee Department of Health’s immunization requirements for admission in schools and are not tracked by the district,” Johnson said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, 151,118 people in Montgomery County have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine (72.3% of the population), and 126,857 are fully vaccinated (60.7%).

“CMCSS has communicated with families since last year that schools cannot eliminate the spread of COVID-19 during in-person learning, but our collective actions can help mitigate the spread,” it states on the district’s webpage.

For the 2022-23 school year, the district is using these mitigation techniques: increasing outdoor air ventilation, employing enhanced two-step cleaning throughout buildings, encouraging self-screening, masks, handwashing, covering sneezes, and staying home when sick for all students, employees and visitors.

 COVID-19 Exposure Response Plan

When a CMCSS student or employee tests positive for COVID-19, they will need to notify either the school nurse (if they are a student) or their supervisor (if they are an employee). The medical office that performed the test will notify the Montgomery County Health Department for contact tracing.

Employees and students are expected to self-screen before entering any school building, checking to make sure they don’t have symptoms such as fever of 100 degrees or greater, a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, body aches, headache, or loss of taste or smell. If they have symptoms, they are advised to stay home and contact a provider for testing.

Anyone with questions or feedback on the plan can email questions@cmcss.net.