Schools in the Dysart Unified School District will remain open Monday, despite teachers staging a "sickout" to voice their concerns over in-person learning.
The @DysartUSD telling me they have 142 teacher absences across the district today.
— Danielle Lerner (@DanielleLerner) January 11, 2021
To put that in perspective, last Wednesday, they had 68 teachers absent.
All Dysart schools are open and students are learning.
In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, the district said:
"Our staff absence data indicates we will have a number of teachers absent on Monday, January 11. At this time, our schools will remain open, as we have plans in place to cover staffing shortages that may occur, and are confident that campuses can remain open in a safe manner. We will continue to monitor the situation and notify parents if any changes are made. With over 75% of our families choosing in person learning at this time, we are dedicated to keeping our in person classes available to our community, and have extensive health and safety protocols in place to keep our campuses safe and healthy."
The latest update to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health Schools Dashboard shows all three metrics in substantial spread within the district's boundaries, with cases approaching nearly 580 per 100K people, and a percent positivity at nearly 24 percent.
The district also stressing the importance of their safety protocol to families in a statement on Friday. Reminding parents to report positive cases, keep students home if they show any symptoms of being sick, and quarantine students when needed. The district is also offering online learning options for families.
The move comes as the Peoria Unified School District is being forced to close 12 elementary and high schools Monday, due to a lack of staffing.
The Peoria Education Association says up to 600 teachers announced they plan to have a "sickout" Monday over concerns of rising coronavirus cases and the governing board's decision to resume in-person learning after the holiday break.
