COVID continues to challenge us as a school system and as a community. In our first week of school, we saw 40 positive cases of COVID-19 identified in our students and staff. This was 9 cases short of our weekly high from last school year. In our second week of school, the number of positive cases rose to 98 which is double last year’s one week high. Unfortunately, we anticipate this trend continuing unless action is taken.

Based on the rapidly rising cases we are seeing in our buildings and our need to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our schools open, the MCS Board of Education has enacted a mask requirement for all Murfreesboro City School buildings when indoors and social distancing cannot be maintained. This temporary requirement will be observed from Thursday, August 26 through Wednesday, September 29. This decision was voted on by our school board with the support of our MCS leadership team during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

We are aware that the Governor’s executive order provides all parents an opt-out option should they feel masking is not in their child’s best interest. Parents may find the opt out form by visiting https://cityschools.net/news/covid-19-information. Unless a family has formally opted out of the requirement, all students and staff will be expected to wear masks appropriately and responsibly.

We understand this requirement will not please all MCS families. However, at this time, based on the trends in our schools, we believe it is the best decision for our students and staff.