Educators didn’t have much choice about whether to go back to in-person class when Middle Tennessee schools resumed this fall, leading dozens of them to decide to quit instead.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools saw their teacher resignations double, and about one in five of them cited coronavirus as a reason.
In Rutherford County Schools, 22 educators have left the profession, specifically citing the pandemic. Cassie Piggott, who taught English there, told NPR last month, “I am a teacher in my heart, and I need to be back at school. … I am absolutely doing the best thing for my family, but I feel like I have so much more to give to the world.”
In Williamson County Schools, more than 100 teachers have resigned or retired. Although none specifically listed COVID as a reason, that’s a 44% increase compared to last year.
But that trend has flipped in Nashville. Metro Schools is the only district in the area that’s remained almost entirely online this semester, though some elementary students return next week. For Metro, teacher resignations have fallen by a quarter.
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