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Knox Co. teacher at home with COVID-19 days after students return to the classroom

Cheri Siler, a math teacher at Central High, contracted COVID-19 less than two weeks into the school year, as she calls for district officials to follow the science.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — A Knox County teacher is out of the classroom with COVID-19, days after her students returned to school. She is pleading for district officials to rethink their COVID-19 policies after they decided not the require masks or other safety measures at a meeting Wednesday evening.

"I'm especially disheartened by the leadership in our school system that has had said in the spring, that they would follow the science and the CDC guidelines," said Cheri Siler. "The guidelines now are that if you're indoors, you should be wearing a mask."

Siler is a math teacher at Central High School, but she is not spending the first days of the school year in front of a chalkboard showing equations to her students. Instead, she is battling COVID-19.

"Yesterday my body hurt all over. It was so bad, I was in the bed most of the day," she said. "My head hurts. It feels like somebody cleaving it in two. I started coughing, sneezing."

She said she was exposed several times last year, but never contracted the coronavirus. She was notified about possible exposures as a part of contact tracing efforts and was tested for COVID-19 at least four times.

But with masks not required this year, she is sitting at home sick instead of teaching students.

"I just feel miserable. And I'm also now having some stomach issues to go along with it," said Siler.

She said she will return to school with a mask when she gets better, but not just to protect herself. She said that she wanted to lead by example and encourage others to wear them, helping prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

She also said that she was fully vaccinated.

"This isn't over. And the more that we don't take it seriously, the more it mutates and changes and gets us again," she said.

Superintendent Bob Thomas has said several times he will not issue another mask mandate.

Last night, the leaders at Knox County Schools voted not to give him the power to issue COVID-19 safety rules following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite a decision in April to follow those guidelines.

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