Two London schools closed due to staffing issues
Students at Sir Isaac Brock Public School and Lambeth Public School will switch to virtual learning today
Two London schools have temporarily shut their doors to in-person learning due to staffing issues, Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) said in a statement.
Sir Isaac Brock Public School and Lambeth Public School are closed today with students set to return to class on Monday. They will move to virtual learning for today.
"Board administration has determined that operational concerns related to staffing issues require this shift to remote learning," TVDSB said.
They added that affected students will be notified by their teachers.
'This is not sustainable'
According to a tweet by TVDSB trustee, Lori-Ann Pizzolato, there are 400 school board staff positions that are unfilled every day.
"Superintendents [and] administrators are filling every type of role — admin assistant, teacher, yard duty supervisor— and school staff are working tirelessly to ensure schools do not close," she wrote.
"This is not sustainable."
Thank you, <a href="https://twitter.com/jgoldik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jgoldik</a>, for the correction. Yes, sorry, that is UNFILLED positions. <br><br>I am overwhelmed with gratitude to ALL staff that continue to work towards keeping schools open and a safe place full of joy in a very difficult time. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/x4sfXeF9Dg">https://t.co/x4sfXeF9Dg</a>
—@lapizzolatoEarlier this week, the president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in the region, Craig Smith, said absenteeism has been an ongoing issue since last term, but got worse after March Break.
"To say [COVID-19] is spreading like wildfire — I don't want to sound alarmist or overstate the case, but it is spreading very, very fast," said Smith.
"Teachers are off because they are sick and the compounding problem we've got is that there is a shortfall of occasional teachers to take their place."
- With files from Sofia Rodriguez