GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Some students in the Green Bay Area Public School District will be learning virtually for the next several days because of staffing shortages.
Chappell Elementary, Minoka High School Program and Washington Middle School will have virtual learning beginning today and lasting through Monday. Thursday will be what the district calls an “asynchronous learning day” with independent learning for students. Teachers will contact families for virtual instruction for Friday and Monday.
Minoka High School Program students are asked to contact the school for meal pickup. Washington Middle School students can pick up meals from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Co-curricular activities will still go on as scheduled, unless communicated otherwise.
If the staffing shortages are not resolved by the end of the day Monday, the district will notify families by 9 p.m. of virtual classes continuing.
Amarilis Lebron is a Green Bay mom of two.
Her kids go to school in the Green Bay Area Public School District, which recently announced staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
It means the schools most affected will revisit virtual learning.
“For me it’s okay,” she said. “It’s a safety issue because of things going around…”
But Lebron can’t speak for all parents. Mina Webster’s grandkids are in the district too.
“Parents they do go to work but they don’t have the money to put them in daycare so they have to stay home,” she said in defense of working parents.
The increase in staff absences is driven by isolation requirements.
The CDC shortened those requirements from ten days to five.
“Does this line up with the current isolation requirements for the school district?” FOX 11 asked.
“Right now we’re at a ten but actually allowed to test after seven and return on day eight,” Murley explained.
An email sent to district parents Tuesday outlined the following,
The district will decide per school if it has the staff to open. If not, that school will opt for virtual learning for three days, and parents will be notified by 9 p.m. the night before.
“This could be kind of hard to adjust to,” asked FOX 11. “So why can’t the decision be made earlier?”
“We’re trying to keep kids in school as long as we can,” the superintendent answered. “If there’s an increase in absenteeism in a building were likely to see that between 4 o clock and 8 o clock.”
Well before the 9pm deadline Chappell elementary became the first school to cancel in person classes. As for next steps the hope is to bring kids back in the classroom in the next three school days.
The district adds it wants to to prevent too much switching back and forth between the types of learning.
As for Lebron and her two kids
“I send my kids with hand sanitizer I tell them please be safe,” she said.
And Webster and her grandchildren
“I gotta pray,” said Webster. “Gotta pray.”
