Mad River, Springboro schools announce closures for rest of week

University of Dayton student Hannah Kelly, a remote student teacher for Stebbins High School, discusses a clay art project with student Madelynn Hart on Thursday, Oct. 22. Stebbins teacher Joan Miller hooks Kelly up via her iPad each day and carries her from desk to desk so she can work 1-on-1 with students., even though Kelly is in Fremont, outside Toledo. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

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University of Dayton student Hannah Kelly, a remote student teacher for Stebbins High School, discusses a clay art project with student Madelynn Hart on Thursday, Oct. 22. Stebbins teacher Joan Miller hooks Kelly up via her iPad each day and carries her from desk to desk so she can work 1-on-1 with students., even though Kelly is in Fremont, outside Toledo. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

Mad River Local Schools and Springboro Schools both announced Wednesday they will close buildings on Thursday and Friday, citing staff shortages amid illnesses.

Mad River schools will move the high school, two middle schools and preschool to remote learning for the rest of the week. Mad River says the elementary buildings can be staffed and will be in-person, in-session, for the rest of the week.

Springboro Schools will close on Thursday and Friday due to increased staff shortages and student absences, said Larry Hook, superintendent of Springboro schools. No remote or virtual learning will take place for Springboro.

Classes for both districts will resume in-person on Tuesday, Jan. 18, the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Hook said other illnesses than COVID-19 have caused staff and student absences and that in-school spread is not the primary cause of the upward trend, though it may be a contributing factor.

“We apologize for the challenges this presents for many families, given the short timeframe,” Hook said. “We simply do not have the teacher/staff coverage, due to absences, for all our students. Please understand this option is a last resort.”

Hook noted the lack of staff is not a problem unique to Springboro and is happening across Ohio. He called on parents and community members who were available to come work for the district as bus drivers, substitute teachers and education assistants.

Mad River said families of preschool students will hear from teachers for assignments for Thursday, Jan. 13, and teachers will be available during normal school hours to assist families. High school and middle school students can get their assignments through Canvas. Teachers can be contacted via email, Remind or phone.

All Mad River evening events and activities will be canceled from Thursday, January 13 through Monday, January 17. All activities will resume Tuesday, January 18.

Multiple school districts have announced similar issues, with Dayton Public Schools, Lebanon, Tipp City, Fairborn and Northridge all announcing they will take at least one day off this week to recover from illness plaguing the districts.

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