Washington Parish Schools will be closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week because of staff shortages. Schools are expected to re-open on Monday, January 24.
While the schools are closed, students will still have virtual classes.
Frances Varnado, superintendent of parish schools, announced the 3-day closing on Tuesday. She said that a shortage of staff members and an equal shortage of substitutes to replace ill staff members forced the closing of the schools. She said the illnesses are both COVID-related and non-COVID related.
Mrs. Varnado noted that all schools in the Washington Parish system will revert to virtual learning during the 3-day closure.
The Omicron variant of COVID has hit school staffs hard, just as it has hit local businesses. In most cases of staff illnesses, the school system could rely on substitutes. But in this case, many substitutes are also ill with the virus or have tested positive, leaving the school system with no choice except to revert to virtual learning for the 3-day period. However, as Mrs. Varnado noted, not all of the illnesses that have forced the closure of schools are because of COVID.
