MESA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO RETUN TO REMOTE LEARNING MODE
Mesa Elementary School will return to Remote Learning Mode Thursday, November 12, due to staff shortages created by COVID-19 and the quarantine of close-contacts. Mesa Elementary School will be closed November 11 for the Veterans Day holiday. Instruction will resume online Thursday, with staff and students participating remotely. Unless circumstances change, Hybrid Learning Mode will resume November 30, when staff and students return from the Thanksgiving holiday. Families should watch for communication from their schools and individual teachers, and be aware that Remote Learning Mode will be conducted as it was at the start of this school year. Students are expected to log into their classes daily and attendance is will be taken. Grab & Go meals will continue to be available.
Clovis Municipal Schools is currently experiencing a high number of staff absences because of the rise in local COVID-19 cases and public health orders requiring a 14-day quarantine for close-contacts and self-isolation for individuals experiencing symptoms or who have travelled out of state. Compounding the absences is a lack of available substitute employees, making it difficult, and at times impossible, to provide the services and supervision needed to keep our facilities open. While the positive case numbers at each campus may appear nominal, the ripple effect of each case has caused significant staff shortages throughout the District. Since November 2, 92 staff members have been placed in quarantine or isolation.
Remaining staff are working to sustain remote instruction and 5-1 in-person ratios. In the case of Mesa Elementary, currently, one-third of the campus’ instructional staff are unable to report for in-person learning due to COVID-19 related quarantine and/or isolation. An additional 114 Mesa students are also under quarantine and require remote instruction until cleared to return to in-person learning. The strain created by necessary staff and student absences, and the increased risk of COVID-19 exposure caused by these circumstances, have left a return to Remote Learning Mode as the only feasible solution for Mesa. Tomorrow, staff from other facilities will be temporarily assigned to Mesa to allow for a full-day of instruction and to provide families additional time to make childcare or other arrangements.
It is anticipated that this issue will affect other campuses going forward as case numbers continue to rise in the community. As a result, additional facility closures can be expected on a case-by-case basis. The District will make every effort to provide advance notice as decisions to close facilities are made, including shifting staff between campuses to temporarily cover absences and allow families time to prepare.
However, families should be aware that closure announcements may come with less than 24-hour notice in some situations. As a result, the District strongly encourages families to develop short-notice, alternate arrangements for childcare during the school week. Clovis Municipal Schools would like to take this opportunity to remind our staff, students, families, and community of our shared responsibility to protect the health and safety of one another during this pandemic. Observing health orders by staying home, wearing masks, and eliminating unnecessary travel are all critical to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community, so our students can return to school.
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