A visit from Gov. Lee
For a first-time look at going back to school during a pandemic
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visited the campus of Anderson County High School Monday morning. Pictured from left are Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn, Anderson County High School Principal Ben Downs, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Lee, and Anderson County School System Director Tim Parrott.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee spent some time Monday with Clara Hall Hughes, “Aunty Clara.” Hughes, of Anderson County, celebrated her 100th birthday recently, and she traveled to Anderson County High School to meet the governor. Aunty Clara and Lee took a few minutes to chat and share a smile.
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You’ll have to forgive Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee for not getting to school as quickly as some.
There’s a pandemic going on and he’s been, well, kinda busy.
But on Monday morning, the governor made up ground, visiting two schools in East Tennessee to see the progress and precautions for COVID-19 in classrooms.
After visiting Sterchi Elementary School in Knox County, the governor visited Anderson County High Schoo.
There, he popped in on two classes, Chief Allen Davis’ NJROTC class and Daniel Sexton’s senior government class.
Lee also held a brief news conference.
While visiting classrooms, the governor answered students’ questions and spoke about the GIVE Act in Tennessee.
The Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) is designed to foster long-term regional partnerships between Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), community colleges, industry, economic development/workforce agencies, and K-12 to identify and address “skills gaps” in local workforce pools.
Lee said he believes students should have multiple options after graduation and that GIVE is designed for that purpose.
“Whether you want to be a teacher, a doctor, a plumber, a farmer … Education is the foundation for whatever goal you want to pursue,” he told Chief Young’s class.
About two weeks ago Commissioner Schwinn visited schools in East Tennessee, including Clinton Elementary School. At that time Schwinn said she was encouraged to see students eager to learn.
Monday, Lee echoed those observations.
“I was really encouraged,” he said. “I saw kids’ faces who are eager to learn and I saw innovation and that’s exciting.
“I also saw really strong safety measures in place.”
Plastic barriers — built in the school by Anderson County High School students — separate desks. Students are required to wear masks if social distancing guidelines can’t be met. Temperature checks are a must.
Those measures have helped students return to the classroom and that, Lee pointed out, is important.
“The longer kids are out of the classrooms, the more learning loss occurs,” he said. “You can see it when a kid comes back from summer vacation. Well, we’ve been out since March?”