Ah, living in the age of pandemic schooling. Always a new surprise. It appears I'm not alone in worrying about the spread of Covid-19. Teachers have banded together and scheduled a sick day for Monday, October 19th. When CBS 2 reached out for comment on the sick-out, the West Ada Education Association sent the following response:

"If the West Ada School District is in the Red category, instruction must be remote. The spread of COVID-19 in our schools and our community is increasing and it is time for the school board to follow the science, listen to the educators who are in school buildings every day, and prioritize the health of students and staff."

I can't say I blame them for being worried and, perhaps this is controversial, but I support them in wanting a better plan on how to deal with this whole situation. I know it is hard on a lot of families if kids aren't in school full time. I personally have childcare conflicts if they aren't full time. But the science is there regarding social distancing being an effective measure, and at the very least hybrid scheduling can help in some degree.

Earlier I received this email with the following details:

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians,

It has come to our attention that many teachers have taken a sick day on Monday. The numbers indicate that out of 2145 classroom teachers in the West Ada School District, 652 have taken a sick day for Monday, leaving us with approximately 500 positions unfilled.

Principals, administration, teachers and staff worked hard to cover the absences, but unfortunately, we cannot. With safety in mind, and due to supervision concerns, we are regretfully unable to hold school Monday. We will reassess the situation on Monday and give parents, guardians and staff an update.

We want to thank all the patrons and parents who offered to cover classes, but due to the application and fingerprint process required by law, it will not be possible to do so in time for Monday.

We do have a need for substitutes in the West Ada School District, please click here for more information.: www.westada.org/SubstituteApplications.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Ann Ranells

Superintendent of Schools

Click here for more information on how the rest of the week will commence. How are you feeling about this latest development? Do you think the hybrid scheduling is a viable solution for now?

 

 

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