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Fulton's middle and high schools will pivot to distance learning for a short period starting Friday.
Instead of coming in to class, students will learn virtually at home Friday and next week, returning to the classroom Nov. 16.
The temporary closure does not apply to elementary school students.
In a letter to families, the Fulton school district cited an increase in the number of students and staff in quarantine.
"We're having a hard time staffing everything," said Karen Snethen, Fulton Public Schools director of community relations.
There are currently 14 active COVID-19 cases and 266 individuals in quarantine in the district, according to the latest data.
High quarantine numbers already led to the Fulton Early Childhood Center temporarily closing - the FECC building is set to reopen today.
A professional development day was already scheduled for Monday - that will continue with no school, distance or in-person, for students on that day.
"We've had time to prepare, and today and tomorrow will be used for our staff to talk to students and lay out expectations," Snethen said.
Unlike last spring, the district knew to prepare for the possibility of a closure and had a plan in place for transitioning to virtual learning.
The district's hope is learning will continue uninterrupted as students and teachers use resources such as Google Classroom and Google Meet.
The district has already distributed a number of Wi-Fi hotspots to families who don't otherwise have internet access. More will be sent home with any students who require one today.
Grab-and-go meals will be available for middle and high school students during the closure, much as they were over the summer. From 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. every weekday - except for Monday when there is no school - families can stop by the Fulton High School circle drive for contact-free food delivery.
Despite the move to distance learning, athletics and other activities will continue as scheduled.
Currently, the district is on tier level orange for athletics and activities. This means events are limited to essential personnel and two spectators per participant.
Fulton is not the only local school district that has introduced temporary distance learning this fall.
New Bloomfield middle and high school students learned virtually for a week in late October and South Callaway R-2 School District sent students home Oct. 22-30.