Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced Friday she will consider granting waivers to let school districts shift to remote instruction in response to outbreaks of COVID and a raft of school closures.

In a letter to superintendents, Schwinn said the seven-day waivers will be for classrooms or schools only, not entire districts. But waivers won’t be required to move individual students online due to virus-related quarantines.

While the “additional flexibility” is needed, Schwinn said the waivers will be “narrowly applied to preserve in-person learning wherever practicable.”

Her announcement came in response to a surge in pediatric COVID cases, a wave of school closures and canceled bus routes, confusion about the state’s rules for providing remote instruction, and inconsistencies in how those rules are being applied.

On Wednesday, after Gov. Bill Lee said he won’t issue an executive order to let entire districts move online, Schwinn said school systems already had the ability to shift schools or classrooms to virtual instruction without dipping into days stockpiled for inclement weather and illness.

But administrators and parents complained about mixed messages from the state, and Schwinn promised to deliver clearer guidance.

Dale Lynch, who leads the state superintendents organization, called the new waiver process “good news” for educators and students.

“This is a critical need, and we’re appreciative of any flexibility that will allow schools to keep operating and students to keep learning,” he said.