"There is always a way": Calaveras County middle school to stay closed Friday due to staffing shortage
VALLEY SPRINGS — A teacher staffing shortage is so bad at Calaveras Unified School District, the superintendent has decided to keep a middle school closed Friday because so many teachers have called out sick.
Valley Springs mom MaryBeth Lee got the recorded announcement on her phone.
The recording begins: "…Dear Toyom families, I am sorry to inform you that due to staffing shortages Toyom will be closed tomorrow..."
"Very disappointed," Lee said.
With more than half of the teachers and support staff at Toyom Middle School calling out sick or taking a planned day off, the school will stay closed Friday. The school day had been scheduled as a minimum day, ahead of a three-day weekend. Students have Monday off for Lincoln's birthday.
"Are we just wanting a four-day weekend," Lee said. "There is always a way to be able to have our kids in school, and have them staffed."
District Superintendent Mark Campbell said post-COVID, a shortage of substitute teachers has made it difficult to fill teacher absences.
"When you get to over half of your staff, it reached a tipping point, where we talk about the safety and security just in terms of supervision," Campbell said.
Assigning students to sit in an assembly to watch a movie was an option he did not want to take.
"I'm not a fan of having students in the gym watching movies all day. Then, I think you get put in the position of being accused of warehousing students for the purposes of generating the revenue," he said.
Campbell has worked in education for three decades and said outside of COVID-19, this is the first time he has never had to close a school because of short staffing.
"But it's a hardship, no doubt, and I will imagine that we will face some level of criticism and scrutiny for that," Campbell said. "I expect that."
"I actually honestly think that we're still using COVID as an excuse to not have our students in school," Lee said. "It's just unacceptable."
Campbell said he expects to be able to reopen school Tuesday. If teachers aren't available again, he will alert parents Monday night.