Gross Underreporting

The Tennessee Education Association has sent a letter regarding concerns with the state’s COVID data relative to public schools to Gov. Bill Lee and included Commissioner of Health Lisa Piercey and Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn.

Here’s that letter:

Over the past month, TEA has conducted a continuous review of local COVID-19 infection data of educators and students. According to the data, COVID active case rates of school staff are consistently higher-sometimes double-the rates of the communities those schools serve. The data indicate in-person instruction increases infection risk and that Tennessee educators will become ill at a far higher rate than the state’s general population. TEA calls on your administration to immediately

* call for a mask mandate for all school staff and students;

* publish firm state guidance for infection thresholds for school closure;

* provide substantial emergency state school funding for high quality PPEs, updated HVAC and air quality systems, and additional cleaning services;

* enforce all CDC guidelines for school operations;

* fund extended educator sick leave for active cases or quarantines;

* issue guidance to prioritize assigning educators with underlying conditions to remote instruction; * provide additional health benefits and coverage for staff who have been infected; and * provide hazardous duty pay for all staff directly involved with students.