Lewis and Clark and Thomas Jefferson middle schools in Jefferson City will temporarily transition to distance learning due to a significant staffing shortage.
The staffing shortage is primarily from employees who are quarantined from being exposed to COVID-19 outside of school, Communications Director Ryan Burns said.
The last day of in-seat instruction for these students is Thursday, and distance learning will begin Tuesday, according to a letter the district sent to families and staff Wednesday.
Teachers will spend Friday preparing for distance learning, and schools are already closed Monday for a staff professional development day.
Students will return to in-seat instruction on Oct. 19 at the earliest. Administration will reassess the situation next week and provide an update by Wednesday as to whether the temporary closure will be extended for an additional week, Burns said.
The two schools are experiencing a staff fill rate of 30-50 percent, meaning that 50-70 percent of absences are unfilled by substitute teachers and must be covered by other staff in the building, Burns said.
"This increase in staff being quarantined - combined with a decrease in the availability of substitute teachers - has created a challenging environment for the staff who remain in the buildings," the letter states. "It has also made it increasingly difficult to provide the type of safe and quality learning environment our students deserve."
Because the distance learning is unrelated to COVID-19 spread, middle school activities will continue with normal operations, according to the letter.
Students will bring their Chromebooks home Thursday, and staff members are working to determine which students need MiFi hotspot devices to access their school work virtually.
The school day schedule will be the same as the in-seat schedule, and students will follow the same bell schedule, according to the letter. Teachers will communicate expectations through Google Classroom.
Unlike last spring, the grades students earn on assignments during distance learning will count the same as if students were in-seat and will be included in the quarter grades recorded on report cards.
"Building administrators and teachers have been preparing for the potential transition to for additional distance learning since last spring," the letter states. "Teachers have been communicating and modeling a variety of digital tools and platforms with students at various times during in-seat instruction since the start of school."
Beginning Tuesday, meals will be available for pickup between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the drop-off location for morning car riders, according to the letter. These meals will follow the regularly scheduled lunch menu. A breakfast and lunch for Friday will be available for students to take home Thursday.
This transition will not impact any of the students currently enrolled in virtual education with Launch.
Since school began Aug. 24, Lewis and Clark has had 15 COVID-19 cases which resulted in 20 close contacts, and Thomas Jefferson has had 26 cases which resulted in 35 close contacts, according to jcschools.us.
"This transition is not due to any sort of concerning spread of COVID-19 within the school environment," the letter states. "We believe our re-entry plan is working to minimize exposure to any positive cases. This transition to distance learning is a direct result of a staffing shortage within the buildings."