In a statement Wednesday night announcing the cancellation of in-person instruction for students on Thursday and Friday, Grayson County Schools (GCS) said that in addition to the expected winter weather, “staffing issues” was another reason for the cancellation of classes.
According to the district’s COVID-19 Dashboard, on Wednesday, January 19, there were 31 staff members COVID positive, with 10 staff members in quarantine. By comparison, on January 3, only five district staff members were positive for the virus, with zero staff in quarantine, giving GCS an 800 percent increase in COVID affected staff members over a 16 day period.
- Grayson County High School and Clarkson Elementary School both have six staff members positive, with one staff member at the high school in quarantine. No staff at Clarkson are in quarantine.
- Wilkey Elementary School has five staff members who have tested positive for the virus, with two staff in quarantine.
- Grayson County Middle School, Caneyville Elementary School and Lawler Elementary School all have four positive staff members. The middle school and Lawler have no staff in quarantine, while Caneyville has two staff in quarantine.
- Two food service workers are COVID positive, with two food workers in quarantine. Three transportation department personnel are in quarantine, with no transportation workers currently testing positive for the virus.
The number of students testing positive for COVID has likewise risen dramatically, as 95 students were positive on Wednesday, January 19, with 392 students in quarantine. On January 3, 15 students were positive and 41 students were quarantined, giving GCS an 870 percent increase in COVID affected students over a 16 day period.
The school district has 4,001 students and 615 staff members.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
