Glasgow Schools Cancel In Person Learning Next Week

Due to a large number of personnel being unable to work due to illness, and a lack of substitutes available due to an ongoing shortage, Glasgow School District has canceled all in person classes from Monday Oct. 18 through Wednesday, Oct. 20. Students already were not scheduled to attend classes on Thursday, Oct. 21.

"I apologize for the short notice and the hardships this may create for our families in our community," Wade Sundby, Glasgow School District #1A Superintendent, said in a press release issued Friday. "We just don't have enough subs, to custodians, to bus drivers, to para-educators, to teachers to run a highly effective school at the current state we are in right now. At this time, this is the best scenario to allow the staff shortage to be reduced and allow teachers to retrun to the building on Monday, Oct. 25."

The decision to cancel normal classes was made by the Glasgow School District Board of Education during their regular public meeting Wednesday night at Irle School.

The school district will continue with all athletic and competition events scheduled for the week, because these departments have not been impacted by the acute staffing shortage.

"The staff shortage is not in our extracurricular components in the schools," Sundby said. "We will continue with cross country, volleyball, cheer, football, practices," etc.

School clubs also should not be impacted as no events were scheduled for this coming week, Sundby added.

However, the music and choir concerts initially scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 19, have been moved to 6 and 7 p.m. on Monday Nov. 1.

Students will not need to make up the two and a half days lost this week at the end of the school year, said Board of Education Chairman Angie Page.

"We were able to have policies in place that allow for flexibility when dealing with COVID. These are COVID emergency policies that allow us to be able to do this and not have to make up those days."

The cause of widespread illness was not known Wednesday, Sundby said, and could be attributed to COVID-19, flu or other communicable illness. Additionally, some of the staff are not sick themselves, but are at home caring for sick family members, Sundby said.

"Thank you to the Glasgow Community for their support and understanding during this unprecedented time," Sundby said.