KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another school district near the Kansas City area is canceling school on Friday due to staff being out to COVID-19 and other illnesses.
The Unified School District 232, in DeSoto, said it's dealing with a high number of teacher absences as a result of illnesses.
Nearly 100 teaching positions were unfilled this week, leaving the district to try and find substitutes. However, the district said it's been a challenge to do so.
Heading into Friday, nearly 20% of classroom teachers were unavailable.
"This is having a negative impact on our daily instruction for students," the district said in a letter to families. "This challenge does not take into account absences among our school support staff."
The district also said student absences due to illness have been between 10% to 11% this week.
Classes will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 18, after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
On Wednesday, the Bonner Springs School district also closed for the rest of the week due to high amount of absences.
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