Taking a coronavirus ‘pause,’ CCSD cancels classes Friday and Tuesday
by Hugh Jackson, Nevada Current
January 11, 2022
LAS VEGAS–The Clark County School District Tuesday announced that there will be no school on Friday, Jan. 14 and Tuesday, Jan. 18 “due to the extreme staffing shortages based on the high number of positive COVID-19 cases.”
The cancelled school days combined with the Martin Luther King Day holiday Monday creates a five-day “pause” which “will promote a safe, healthy learning environment in our schools to ‘Stop the Spread’ in order to continue face-to-face instruction,” the district said in a release.
“All athletics, before- and after-school activities, Safekey, field trips, athletic practices, and athletic travel” are also cancelled over the five-day period.
Friday will be a staff development day and staff will work from home. Tuesday will be staff contingency day. The school calendar will be adjusted to make up the lost days by converting scheduled contingency days on Feb. 7 and April 25 into normal school days.
Following the announcement, Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a statement emphasizing the importance of in-person learning.
“I know many parents and families will be disappointed with the Clark County School District’s decision,” read the statement. “Let me be clear, I am absolutely committed to keeping schools open for in-person learning and keeping our students, educators and staff safe. There is no substitute for having kids on our campuses, learning in classrooms with their teachers and peers. And I will use every resource I have as Governor of the State of Nevada to keep schools open for in-person learning. I know the School District leadership shares this same goal.”
Sisolak said the long weekend “will allow staff, students, and our hardworking educators to get healthy so they can return to work ready to provide high-quality instruction for our children. That’s what our educators do best, and that’s what our students and families deserve.”
Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com. Follow Nevada Current on Facebook and Twitter.
