Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Recommends Schools Close for Rest of Year in Coronavirus Lockdown Extension

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recommended that schools remain closed for the rest of the school year.

In a briefing on Wednesday evening, Governor Lee recommended that schools across the state close, but stopped short of enforcing closures. Lee said he hoped that schools would follow his recommendation, and after the briefing, counties across the state announced that they would be closing.

WVLT8 reported that Knox, Morgan, Blount, Claiborne, Campbell, Hamblen and Monroe counties announced that they would be closing their schools for the rest of the academic year.

In a tweet, Governor Lee wrote: "In order to keep every Tennessean safe during this pandemic, I am recommending that schools remain closed through the end of this school year.

"We're working with [the Tennessee Department of Education] and local leaders to ensure there is flexibility for districts to complete critical year-end activities."

In a bulletin posted on the Tennessee government website, the state government said: "Students have lost significant learning time in their classrooms and the administration is committed to continuing to provide resources that keep our students engaged.

"Time lost in the classroom also has implications on overall well being, especially for at-risk and vulnerable student populations."

The bulletin also explains that the Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn will convene a COVID-19 Child Wellbeing Task Force "to engage communities and provide support for students."

Schwinn retweeted Lee's announcement on Twitter and explained what the task force would do: "Proud to be a part of this work, supporting our children's wellbeing while continuing to support their academic progress.

"Over the coming weeks, we will convene a task force to consider critical issues like nutrition, health, and services to support the work our schools do every day."

Many states have already ordered schools to close for the rest of the academic year, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, according to Education Week.

California, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota, and now Tennessee, have recommended, but not ordered, that schools close for the rest of the academic year.

Some states have only closed schools temporarily with schools set to re-open this month in Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Other states have extended their school closures to May, including Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

New Jersey and North Dakota have ordered their schools to close until further notice.