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Over 100 staff members call out forcing J. O. Combs Unified School District to cancel Monday classes

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Posted at 5:43 PM, Aug 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-17 00:32:41-04

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ — The J. O. Combs Unified School District in San Tan Valley has canceled classes for Monday due to "a high volume of staff absences."

A district spokesperson says 109 staff members including teachers and office staff have requested to not work.

In a letter to parents, the school district says, "In response to this week’s Governing Board decision to resume in-person instruction on Monday, we have received an overwhelming response from staff indicating that they do not feel safe returning to classrooms with students. In response, we have received a high volume of staff absences for Monday citing health and safety concerns."

All classes, either in-person or online have been canceled for the first day back to school. The district says they do not know the duration of the staff absences and are unable to confirm when in-person or online learning will resume.

The district says they will monitor the situation and expects to have an update no later than 5:00 p.m. Monday.