Spokane Public Schools are closed Tuesday due to COVID, staff shortages
Spokane Public School students have no classes on Jan. 18 due to understaffing.
KREM collaborators, Josh Lyle, Celina Van Hyning
6:28am PST Jan 18, 2022
6:29am PST Jan 18, 2022
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane public schools are closed Tuesday, January 18, due to staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
SPS will not be offering morning or afternoon childcare on January 18th. Sports and other extracurricular activities will also be adjusted and changes should be communicated by the school’s Director of Sport.
SPS reported that as of Friday, 1,158 staff and students were in quarantine for a possible COVID-19 case.
The district has managed to cover several classes with substitute teachers, headquarters staff, and administrators, but other staff have had to step in to cover other classes
Public health officials in Washington have predicted the omicron surge will peak as early as this week, but SPS said staff conditions will not improve over the next few weeks and may worsen.
In preparation for the projected peak, SPS officials are adjusting the school calendar “to give staff additional time to complete quarantines required by the Department of Health.”
Students will also not be at school on Monday 24th January subject to conditions. SPS said they “highly anticipate” students not going to school on Jan. 24, but will provide final confirmation to parents no later than Thursday, Jan. 20.
“Our intention is to continue to offer in-person learning as recommended by health authorities,” SPS said in an email. “By moving the school calendar instead of canceling the school, as many students as possible remain in school with minimal disruption to classes and other SPS services.”
All further information about the closure can be found on the SPS website.
In an email sent to SPS families, they advised parents that students and staff will follow current CDC guidelines on quarantine. If positive, both vaccinated and unvaccinated students must be quarantined for five days.
If exposed, unvaccinated students can return to school with a negative test after six days.
SEE MORE: SPS reports over 500 COVID-19 cases and other headlines