Wawasee High School Going Virtual Due To Staffing Shortage
Wawasee High School Going Virtual Due To Staffing Shortage
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Wawasee High School Going Virtual Due To Staffing ShortageSYRACUSE – Wawasee High School is going virtual for a “short period of time” due to a staffing shortage caused by the COVID pandemic, according to a letter today from Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington.
“We are currently in our 16th day of school and are beginning to feel the weight of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in our schools, particularly the impact of close contact mandatory quarantining by the Kosciusko County Health Department. We are approaching 100 students that have been sent home with symptoms of COVID-19, but many more students and staff members have been impacted because they live in the same household, or have been determined to be a close contact of a positive case. This is putting a nearly unmanageable burden on our staff as we currently have 14 teachers, 5 bus drivers, 6 paraprofessionals, 2 custodians and multiple other classified staff members quarantined and not able to attend work,” according to Edington’s letter.
As of today, there have only been six positive tests of students or staff within Wawasee’s school facilities. Close contact with COVID-19 positive cases outside of school are having as much or more of a negative impact on school operations as those that occur while school is in session, Edington writes.
“With the growing number of absences occurring at all levels of our school corporation, we are currently unable to adequately staff all our buildings. We are experiencing a significant shortage of available substitutes for our open teaching and paraprofessional positions, and are unable to get substitutes for some of our critical operational positions to keep the buildings functioning at the level you have come to expect from Wawasee,” the letter states.
“Through ongoing conversations with our school leaders and local county health officials, we have made the decision to move Wawasee High School to a virtual learning environment for a short period of time. This will allow us to use critical staff from that building in other locations throughout the school corporation. In an effort to maintain open facilities and in-person learning at Milford School, Syracuse Elementary, North Webster Elementary and Wawasee Middle School, it is necessary for us to make this temporary move.”
On Friday, Sept. 4, Wawasee High School will have an e-Learning day and students will work from home on their class assignments. Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 11, Wawasee High School will operate in a fully virtual learning model with students participating in their full schedule throughout the school day. More specific information about the details associated with virtual learning at WHS will be forthcoming.
“It is our hope that we will be able to return to normal, in-person learning at Wawasee High School on Monday, September 14. We appreciate your flexibility as we continue to deal with the ongoing challenges that are created due to this pandemic. It is our priority to ensure that all students at Wawasee are given a high level of academic, social and emotional support through this difficult time,” Edington’s letter concludes.
