Update, 3 p.m.
Chase Secondary School will be reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
In a Jan. 18 update to parents, principal Greg Gartrell said “we expect to have enough staff to continue to offer programming in school face-to-face for the remainder of this week.”
In an email to the Observer, School District 73 communications manager Diana Skoglund said greater absenteeism due to COVID-19’s Omicron variant was expected and such absentee rates can have a bigger impact at smaller schools.
“Due to privacy, however, we cannot disclose specific reasons for staff absenteeism,” she wrote.
Original story:
Chase Secondary School is closed today, Jan. 18.
According to a Jan. 17 letter to parents from the school’s principal Greg Gartrell, enough staff to supervise and instruct students were not available for the day. When that happens, he said a functional closure is required.
Parents were instructed to keep their children home from school, with two exceptions: If the child has exceptional needs requiring them to be at school, or if the parent is a health-care professional and can’t keep their child at home.
Gartrell said replacement teachers are planning what’s “required for subjects and classes,” and noted it’s still being determined whether students’ return to class will be in person or online.
An update is expected from Gartrell by noon today about classes tomorrow for Chase Secondary School students.
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Do you have something else we should report on? Email: zachary.roman@saobserver.net
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