RVS stated that on Wednesday, January 11th, they had 129 absences out of 1,412 teaching staff.
In a written statement, Superintendent Greg Luterbach wrote that "After all substitutes were placed in classrooms, we needed to provide coverage for 24 teachers with school-based staff. We’re also prepared to move students very quickly temporarily to at-home online learning. With our students’ best interest at heart, any decision to move a class or grade to at-home online learning will be made carefully and out of necessity."
Luterbach went on to write that, "We are committed to doing what we can to keep our schools and classes open for students to learn in person. We’re constantly hiring additional substitute teachers, putting professional learning that requires coverage on hold, and exploring other options to address shortages to place qualified staff in classrooms as needed. These steps to keep students benefiting from in-person learning are in addition to the many health protocols we continue to implement in our schools for the safety of our students and staff."
As far as transportation for students, contractors were able to provide service for all the routes. And late buses were due to mechanical breakdowns and traffic, which is typical during the winter months.
"The driver shortages have not materialized yet, although, as with most employers, this will likely be a challenge as the pandemic evolves."
Luterbach underlined that RVS believes most students learn best in person and attending school is an important part of their overall wellbeing.
"With staffing shortages due to COVID-19 impacting virtually all sectors, we anticipated this challenge among our teaching and support staff and have been preparing on multiple fronts."