Here are the schools that have closed in the Boise area because of COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues its spread across Idaho, many schools already have had to close temporarily.
Some schools have had too many teachers and staff members out due to COVID-19 to keep classes running. Others have experienced large outbreaks resulting in even larger numbers of students and staff having to quarantine.
Most schools that are shutting down are doing so for only a few days at a time.
But across the board, school districts — even those with mask mandates such as the Boise School District — have been seeing high numbers of cases already.
The Boise School District reported nearly 200 positive COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks, according to its tracker. In West Ada, the district has reported a total of 113 positive cases since starting school just over a week ago, according to its dashboard. No schools in either district have had to close yet.
Here’s an updated list of the Boise-area schools that have announced they were shutting down temporarily due to COVID-19.
Week of Sept. 20
Pi STEM Academy, Kuna
Pi STEM Academy, a public charter school in Kuna, will be closed Thursday and Friday because of COVID-19, according to a letter sent Wednesday from the school’s executive director to parents.
“We do have a positive case in our staff and it is an individual that interacts with students and teachers in every building,” the letter from Jill Hettinger reads. “Additionally, we currently have a fair number of students that are out with COVID or COVID symptoms awaiting tests.
“To date, we have not linked any of our COVID cases to interactions at school, but I have concerns that this may not still be the case.”
The school’s board is scheduled to meet Friday night to assess the situation and decide how instruction will be conducted moving forward. Parents are asked to notify the school of any COVID-19 symptoms or positive tests to obtain “a clearer picture of the number of cases that we currently have in our Pi STEM community.”
Week of Sept. 6
Carberry Elementary, Emmett School District
Carberry Elementary School will be closed Sept. 9 and 10. The district said in an email to parents and staff the school had seen a “significant increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases and a large number of quarantines for close contact.”
The school had 26 confirmed cases among students and staff and 54 people in quarantine from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, according to the district’s tracker.
“At this time Carberry Elementary is the only school that will be closed on September 9th and 10th,” the email said. “The District will send out additional information if there is a need to extend the closure.”
Park Intermediate School, Weiser School District
The Weiser School District said Monday that Park School would be closed Sept. 7 and 8, due to several staff members expected to be out and a shortage of substitutes. Homework won’t be required during those days, the district said in a letter to parents.
“We hope this closure will be limited to just the days that are indicated and we do not anticipate that it will have an impact on any other schools in the district,” the district said.
Week of Aug. 30
Basin School District
The Basin School District in Idaho City closed starting Sept. 2 and planned to reopen for most students Sept. 7. The district said 131 of its 363 students were out Wednesday, Sept. 1 due to COVID-19 and the flu.
“The district’s goal is to continue face-to-face learning as much as possible,” the district said in a Facebook post. “After much discussion over the best plan to move forward, we have decided to utilize the three-day weekend in addition to Thursday and Friday to give the flu and COVID a chance to decrease transmission over the five days.”
Payette High School
Payette High School announced it would be closed until Sept. 13. The school had 27 absences on Thursday, Sept. 2 from positive COVID-19 infections.
“A cluster of COVID-19 illnesses at our high school is evident and we are moving to a short-term dismissal of students for online learning,” Principal Jacob Williams and Superintendent Robin Gilbert wrote in a letter.
Snake River Elementary School, Nampa School District
Snake River Elementary in Nampa said it was closing down until Sept. 8. Kathleen Tuck, the director of communications and community relations for the Nampa School District, said 20% of students at the elementary school were out, most of them due to illness. At least nine teachers have tested positive for COVID-19, and two others were awaiting test results.
“The increase in COVID cases across our valley is being felt at Snake River,” Principal Karla Reynolds said in a video message. “We have 11 adults out currently. With that many people out and no substitutes, it is impossible for us to continue serving your students in a safe and healthy manner.”
Compass Public Charter School
Compass Public Charter School in Meridian said it would be temporarily pausing instruction and extracurricular activities for a week until Sept. 7. During that time, the school was expected to be deep cleaned.
“Unfortunately, we have had a lot of students attending school who either have symptoms of illness or have family members at home who have COVID symptoms,” a letter to parents said. “This has resulted in a substantial spread within our Compass community, which according to our Safe Return to School Plan requires us to implement additional mitigation measures.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 12:47 PM.
