JCPS in session, but several local school districts cancel classes Tuesday over illnesses
Several school districts around Louisville and Southern Indiana closed Tuesday due to a rise in illness rates that has affected attendance from students and staff.
School districts in Bullitt County, LaRue County, Shelby County and Silver Creek (in Clark County, Indiana) all announced Monday that in-person classes would not be in session Tuesday due to flu cases and other sicknesses. Silver Creek students are taking part in classes virtually, while the three Kentucky districts are planning to make up the day later in the school year.
Public schools in Louisville, meanwhile, are open. Jefferson County Public Schools spokesperson Mark Hebert said all schools are in session Tuesday.
In Bullitt County, according to a letter from district Superintendent Jesse Bacon, the student attendance rate across the district dropped to 88% Monday, with some schools' rates in the 70s. He also said 192 staff members were absent Monday and only 53% could be replaced with substitutes.
"I encourage all students and staff to take this time to rest, recuperate, and regain strength to finish the fall semester strong upon returning from Thanksgiving Break," Bullitt County superintendent Jesse Bacon said in a release. The district will make the day up on May 25.
More:Half of this JCPS school's teachers called in sick Thursday to protest
In Shelby County, according to a release on the district's Facebook page, attendance rates across the county sat at just over 92% Thursday and had steadily dropped into the mid-80s by Monday, with a significant number of illnesses reported among staff members. The county's school board is set to hold a special meeting to push for Dec. 9 to be marked as the make-up day.
The Silver Creek and LaRue County districts did not disclose local absence rates in social media posts announcing closures Tuesday, and LaRue County did not say when the day could be made up.
The local closures are part of a larger trend at the onset of flu season. In early November, 25 school districts announced they would move to online learning due to a rise in illnesses among students and staff. Higher flu and RSV rates this year, along with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, have led national health experts to warn about the possibility of a "tripledemic" this winter.
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More:RSV hospitalizing more Kentucky kids, and 'we have not reached our peak surge' yet
Reach Ana Alvarez Briñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter @SoyAnaAlvarez.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky schools: JCPS open, several other districts close Tuesday
