(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A northwest suburban elementary school district will shut down for the rest of the week because of COVID-related staff shortages, officials said.
Families within Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62 received a communication over the weekend saying the preK-8 system will go on hiatus beginning Tuesday (Jan.11) and reopen Jan. 18, the day after Martin Luther King’s birthday. The district will take four emergency days and will not provide remote learning.
“The reason remote instruction will not be provided is due to the fact that we do not have sufficient staff or substitutes to equitably fulfill instructional duties and responsibilities. This is a direct result of the high number of staff being recently diagnosed with COVID-19,” Supt. Paul E. Hertel said in a letter dated Jan. 8.
The school district plans to shift four teacher’s institute days to in-person classes on Feb. 18, May 11, June 2 and June 3.
Hertel characterized this week’s shutdown as a temporary measure.
“I believe that our schools are where children should be, where they can be supported and cared for,” he said. “However, we are deeply compromised at this time with the number of staff that are out sick. Those that are working are extremely stressed.”
The district has more than 4,200 students.
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