KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Park Hill School District sent a letter to parents Thursday warning them that their schools may have to close due to a large number of staff absences.
"Today, we had more than 200 of our staff members out with illness, and we were only able to cover 54% of those with substitutes," the letter said. "This is more than we have ever seen in the history of the Park Hill School District."
The district said that all members of the staff have been pitching in to try and keep school in person but also said those efforts may not be sustainable if the situation continues.
"We’ve had custodians answering phones and everyone with the proper certification has been covering classrooms, from our specials teachers to our instructional coaches to our building and district administrators. This means that we haven’t been able to provide some key services," the letter said. "As illness numbers continue to rise, we are reaching a breaking point. If we do not have enough staff to properly supervise our students, we cannot have school."
The letter said that if the number of staff out continues to rise, schools will have to close, including the online academy, childcare programs, preschools, athletics and events.
"We know this would impact your family, so we are asking you to make plans now," the letter said. "In the meantime, please keep your child home if they have any symptoms of illness."
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