COVID related staff shortage delays Dooly in person schooling
Published 3:33 pm Friday, February 19, 2021
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Staff Report
Dooly County students will continue to attend virtual school until February 22nd, due to staff members in quarantine.
According to the school system Facebook post, there is not enough staff to provide services to in-person students due to COVID-related illnesses among faculty, staff, students and households.
“We hope that we can return to the buildings when we are confident that we can better safeguard our students, staff and their respective families,” said Superintendent Dr. Craig Lockhart. “Once our workforce can safely come back to the building, we will allow students to return. Until that time, students must continue to work online from home.”
Lockhart said the February 22nd date allows enough time to lift existing quarantines and carry through the upcoming Winter Break.
In an email Friday, Lockhart issued a clarification.
“We are currently in Phase III for the third nine-weeks,” he wrote. “Phase III calls for students to return to school in-person on February 22nd unless they are virtual students. In-person students will go to school Monday through Thursday during Phase III beginning next Monday if they opted to be an in-person student. Phase III rolls into Phase IV, in which in-person learning goes from four to five days. Basically, students who return in person on February 22nd will continue to do so from that day moving forward and will also come to school on Fridays after March 16th, the first official day of the 4th nine-week period. Virtual students will remain virtual for the rest of the year.